knock-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈnäk-ˌəp 

British

: a warm-up or practice session before a game in a racket sport (such as tennis)

knock up

2 of 2

verb

knocked up; knocking up; knocks up

transitive verb

1

informal + impolite : to make pregnant

2

British : rouse, summon

Synonyms of knock-up

Verb

• wake
• awaken
• awake

Examples of knock-up in a Sentence

Verb

I asked the clerk at the hotel to knock me up at 7:00 a.m.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In a wacky twist of fate, both of them get knocked up at the same time! — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026

Margo’s Got Money Troubles is the story of college freshman and aspiring writer Margo (Elle Fanning) who gets knocked up by her English professor (Michael Angarano) and decides to drop out and keep the baby. — Literary Hub, 28 May 2026

Elle Fanning stars as Margo, a young college student who gets knocked up by one of her professors and decides to move back home and have the baby. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

At fine-dining Le Grand Large, a rotation of visiting chefs knock up Provencal dishes like red snapper and Bouillabaisse. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1884, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for knock-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup