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

• win
• earn
• reap
• gain
• make
• get
• garner
• obtain
• pull down
• land

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

Of course, that’s exactly what Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu and the developer want; A knockdown, drag out, talk radio donnybrook over a shelter being shoehorned into a tiny former nursing home nestled among a family neighborhood in the Holy Name parish. —Lou Murray, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025

However, his advanced metrics are more impressive: six QB hurries (tied for third in the NFL), 13 QB pressures (tied for fourth) and four QB knockdowns (tied for seventh). —Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025

Verb

And the autumn Paris weather played nice — just a few gusts knocking down some lamps and a few showers prompting umbrellas to save our gear! —Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025

An appeals court knocked down the fine in August but otherwise kept the case intact. —Surina Venkat, The Hill, 24 Oct. 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