knockdown

1 of 3

adjective

knock·​down ˈnäk-ˌdau̇n 

1

: having such force as to strike down or overwhelm

a bewildering assortment of knockdown arguments

—J. W. Krutch

2

: that can easily be assembled or disassembled

a knockdown table

3

chiefly British : extremely low : reduced

knockdown prices

knockdown

2 of 3

noun

1

: the action of knocking down

2

: something (such as a blow) that strikes down or overwhelms

3

: something (such as a piece of furniture) that can be easily assembled or disassembled

knock down

3 of 3

verb

ˈnäk-ˈdau̇n 

knocked down; knocking down; knocks down

transitive verb

1

: to strike to the ground with or as if with a sharp blow : fell

2

: to dispose of (an item) to a bidder at an auction sale

3

: to take apart : disassemble

4

: to receive as income or salary : earn

positions where they were able to knock down good money

—Infantry Journal

5

: reduce

knocked the price down

6

basketball, informal : to succeed in making (a jump shot or foul shot)

She scored 10 points on the night with three assists. She also knocked down three out of four free-throw attempts.

—Niki Herbert

Pierce faked right, drove left, turned and knocked down a fadeaway jumper.

—Jason Mastrodonato

Synonyms

Verb

• acquire
• attain
• bag
• bring in
• capture
• carry
• come by
• draw
• earn
• gain
• garner
• get
• land
• make
• obtain
• procure
• pull down
• realize
• reap
• secure
• win

Examples of knockdown in a Sentence

Adjective

Now's your chance to buy these items at knockdown prices!

Verb

she's knocking down a good salary, but she has to work very hard

right after the holidays the stores start to knock down the window displays

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Suns need another knockdown shooter and could use a versatile four. —Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 8 Feb. 2023

That competitive mariachi exists is a knockdown effect of this. —Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023

Noun

Taking a knee should have counted as a knockdown and sticking your head out of the ring should have led to a disqualification, but referee Steve Wilkes did nothing and the New York State Athletic Commission did nothing. —Tony Paige, New York Daily News, 4 May 2025

However, Cardenas turned up the heat through the fight and scored the stoppage win, including three knockdowns. —Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025

Verb

The defense asked Cassie Ventura to confirm that Combs both built up and knocked down her confidence, citing text messages between the pair. —Adam Reiss, NBC news, 15 May 2025

A day later, Murderbot has received its first negative review, knocking down its perfect 100% to a 96%. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for knockdown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

knock down

verb

1

: to strike to the ground with or as if with a sharp blow

2

: to sell to the highest bidder at an auction

3

: to take apart