1
as in to bump
to come into usually forceful contact with something
my knee knocked against the table leg when I tried to get up quickly
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
threatened to knock him upside the head if he didn't do as he was told
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to blame
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of
hey, don't knock it until you've tried it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the door a good knock
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this
getting his college degree was a six year adventure not without its share of knocks along the way
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in setback
a change in status for the worse usually temporarily
the geneticist's reputation took a knock when several of his peers were unable to confirm his research findings
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knock
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Utah retook the lead not even two minutes later when Hart found himself out of position and Vegas defenseman Kaeden Korczak knocked the puck into his own net, though it was officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
So at some moment there’d be a knock on the door and their guns would be confiscated.
—ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for knock
Verb
Some of the traditional news perches aren’t waiting for creators to come knocking.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Utah retook the lead not even two minutes later when Hart found himself out of position and Vegas defenseman Kaeden Korczak knocked the puck into his own net, though it was officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
Instead, the pinstripers couldn’t even muster a hit against the lefty until the seventh inning when Ben Rice delivered their first knock of the day, a one-out single.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
So at some moment there’d be a knock on the door and their guns would be confiscated.
—ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for knock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock
Verb
-
If the sun does manage to come out, that will help us out and help bump highs into the lower 60s.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Three Georgia State Patrol troopers who intentionally bumped vehicles or performed other maneuvers to stop vehicles during pursuits sought payouts afterward from the other driver's insurance, claiming personal injuries to supplement their paychecks, an internal investigation found.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And Silva hit a home run, her third, after attempting a bunt on the previous pitch.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Seattle Seahawks have already hit three of their biggest needs in the 2026 NFL Draft, taking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price on Thursday night in Round 1 and TCU safety Bud Clark and Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal in the second and third rounds on Friday.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In response to industry commentators blaming aggressive patent litigation for companies disabling HEVC support, Nokia’s rep said that third-party streaming services and hardware wouldn’t work as expected without Nokia’s research and development.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Who one blames depends on their politics.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sheehan managed to keep the Rockies from landing the big blow.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The Senate’s quick passage of the 10-day patch was starkly different than the House’s rare overnight session, during which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was dealt two consecutive blows.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The latter faces more corruption up front, but both protagonists deal with their fair share of misfortune, growing up all too fast as a result.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Philadelphia singer-songwriter seeks out the mystical potential of quotidian misfortunes in a set of psychedelic-of-center bedroom pop songs.—
Lily Goldberg,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Our own editors have run the gamut of unexpected setbacks abroad, including getting mugged and pickpocketed, as well as having their passports stolen.—
Michelle Baricevic,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
-
That setback, according to those who knew him well, wounded him—and transformed him.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With the rebound lying in the goal mouth, Malkin was on the spot to bang it home.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Oregon State, Washington State, New Mexico State, San Jose State and others have expressed interest for the forward who can bang inside, run the floor and hit the mid-range jumper.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Vince tried to get Shane to slap her in a scene, but Shane refused.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Tyler Mikorski was about to board a flight to go on vacation with his girlfriend and her family on March 1 when police slapped cuffs on him.—
Jason Abbruzzese,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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