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
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Salas hit a three-run shot of his own in the fifth, and Park knocked a solo bomb right after to make the score 15-3.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 23 Mar. 2026
Zev Fima, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
Texas added two more runs in the bottom half on an error and Carson Tinney's RBI knock.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for knock
Verb
This knocked Ritchson off his motorcycle, which resulted in cuts, bruises and a minor finger injury, TMZ reported.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Salas hit a three-run shot of his own in the fifth, and Park knocked a solo bomb right after to make the score 15-3.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
That's not a knock on McCormick.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
Texas added two more runs in the bottom half on an error and Carson Tinney's RBI knock.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for knock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock
Verb
-
Nobody’s going to bump into them in a hallway and offer career advice.—
Dennis Kozak,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The victory bumped the Oilers to second place behind Anaheim and ahead of Vegas.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The ball then hit the football goal post crossbar and bounded down to Luis Duenas who headed it from point-blank range toward the net.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The organization doesn’t expect Owens to hit and pitch in the same game this year, but intends to build him toward that goal eventually.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Roughly 20 minutes later, the controller appeared to blame himself.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Cronin blamed himself for not finding a way to stop Connecticut forward Alex Karaban, who scored 27 points and helped fuel two decisive runs for the Huskies.—
Jon Marks,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But Thune has worked to soften the blow, at least within his own conference, by involving Lee in lengthy conversations on how debate proceeds.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The French left won the Paris mayor’s race, one of a number of blows to far-right and center-right challengers in nationwide municipal polls.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For the more superstitious among us, Friday the 13th is a day that means bad luck and misfortune.—
Annie Harrigan,
Billboard,
17 Mar. 2026
-
That’s the idea that men who date women in the Kardashian family often face personal or professional misfortune.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When psychological care is integrated alongside medical and physical treatment, athletes are often better prepared not only to return to sport, but to prevent and manage future setbacks more effectively.—
Ian McMahan,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The decision is the second major legal setback for Kennedy and HHS this week.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Late Thursday night into early Friday morning, residents in several neighborhoods in Havana took to the streets, banging pots and pans and, in some cases, lighting bonfires to block major roads in the capital — a sign of escalating frustration.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The sophomore likes to bang around in the lane, like a 7-foot, blonde Lithuanian bull on the hardwood floors of a china shop.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Police detectives found that Jones was assaulted in a fight that started when a woman slapped another woman who was with Jones outside the club.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
20 Mar. 2026
-
When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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