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

Another time, happy hour was almost doomed after someone knocked over the Nalgene bottle of pre-mixed margaritas. — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 30 July 2026

The strong gales knocked over a Waffle House sign onto a car in Panama City Beach, Florida. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

Getting two mouflon proved no more difficult than knocking over the aoudad; both were one-shot kills. — Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 July 2026

One Sunday, Henrichsen assaulted an elderly couple walking along a road, knocking over an 80-year-old man and striking his wife, according to a memo compiled by the neighborhood homeowner’s association. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 23 July 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