as in to wake
to cause to stop sleeping
I asked the clerk at the hotel to knock me up at 7:00 a.m.
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Recent Examples of knock up
Ask Omar, the bartender, to knock up a spritz from his mini vermuteria.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, while Miranda busies herself with building a pageant empire, her husband Ray, a pill-popping nurse, has knocked up the 18-year-old granddaughter of one of his hospice patients.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Julia, worried, maintains that she’s not knocked up.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 2025
With 200 hp worth of empty space to play with before knocking up against the 600-hp V12 Verado, Mercury is dialing up the overall output of the V10 range by adding a new 425-hp variant as the flagship of the family.
—New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, while Miranda busies herself with building a pageant empire, her husband Ray, a pill-popping nurse, has knocked up the 18-year-old granddaughter of one of his hospice patients.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Julia, worried, maintains that she’s not knocked up.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 2025
With 200 hp worth of empty space to play with before knocking up against the 600-hp V12 Verado, Mercury is dialing up the overall output of the V10 range by adding a new 425-hp variant as the flagship of the family.
—New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock up
Verb
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What follows is a crescendo of bloody madness, including a gruesome toenail cutting scene that shouldn’t be viewed while eating, a grandma being eaten alive by a pack of coyotes and a truly bonkers wake that erupts into laugh-out-loud violence thanks to a pair of dentures.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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Salzhauer has also alluded to Rizzi's claims on his TikTok page, posting a spoof video where one of his employees pretends to wake him up by playing one of Rizzi's viral videos.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the countercultural revolution begins, and music starts to change the world, Pearl awakens to a life beyond the one she’s always known.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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The commotion awakened the victim’s mother, who rushed in, causing the suspect to burst out of the home and flee, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Alvarez awoke Sunday leading the majors in slugging, OPS and home runs, a flaming core at the heart of a cooling lineup.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
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When Gould awoke, she was thrilled to see her husband and newborn son.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knock up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20up. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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