knock over

verb

knocked over; knocking over; knocks over

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: to strike to the ground : fell

(2)

: overwhelm

was knocked over by the news

b

: eliminate

knocked over every difficulty

2

a

: steal

especially : hijack

… knocks over a truckload of merchandise …

—J. B. Martin

b

: rob

knocking over a bank

Synonyms of knock over

• rob
• steal (from)

Examples of knock over in a Sentence

he knocked over six convenience stores before getting caught

knocked me over trying to get out the door

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier that day, at a different campaign event about 90 miles east in Canfield, a man carrying two handguns, brass knuckles, and a Taser had barreled toward Acton while yelling her name, knocking over an elderly couple in the crowd. — Sarah Todd, STAT, 22 Sep. 2026

The Regional Parks Department said on social media that at least 10 light poles and several street signs were knocked over. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Cats might hop onto counters and knock over dishes, so keep them out of the way, Dresser said. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Even the odd chance to counter-attack went badly wrong — summed up by the sight of Ouattara almost knocking over team-mate Mikkel Damsgaard with a wayward pass. — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Rhymes for knock over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover