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

• burglarize
• burgle
• knock off
• rip off
• rob
• steal (from)
• take off [slang]

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

The hurricane-strength gusts from the fierce virga bomb did not damage Midland’s airport, but did break several power poles and knock over a semi-truck in nearby Odessa, according to the NWS. Other thunderstorms in the same area also produced strong winds that kicked up dangerous dust storms. —Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025

Grandmother knocked over during the incident; teens arrested According to Gonzalez, the girls' grandmother was knocked over while attempting to protect their mother. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025

Don’t jarringly, full-on recline, thereby banging into knees, knocking over tablets, or spilling drinks. —Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

Over the years, other scientists have implanted false memories of events, such as knocking over a punch bowl at a wedding, traveling in a hot air balloon or putting Slime in a teacher’s desk. —Bernice Andrews, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2025

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