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

The agents also played simplified sports, using a ring left on the island as a target to throw cubes in from a distance or setting up a rock to knock over cubes arranged like bowling pins. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026

Another woman also said she was almost knocked over and was afraid she'd be hurt, Curtis said. — Neal Riley, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Games like cornhole, ringer darts and Kubb — a lawn game involving teams tossing wooden blocks to knock over their opponents’ blocks — were set up on small turf patches. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2026

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

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