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

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

Thibodeaux then came over knocked over Jackson remained on the field but was replaced by Caedan Wallace on the next set of team drills. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Video from the scene showed one car flipped on its side with debris scattered across the sidewalk and a trash can knocked over. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

It is easily knocked over but practical for indoor use when a flat ground base is too big and a steel pike would damage the floors. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 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