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
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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
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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
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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
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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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as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
we knocked about from town to town, looking for work
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as in rollicking
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way
a knockabout game of football in the mud
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as in nomad
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination
the book is one writer's journey of self-discovery as a restless knockabout
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knock
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The impact knocked me out instantly.
—Will Rice, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Jan. 2026
That’s no knock on Calva, who does as good a job with the role as anyone could have.
—Judy Berman, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knock
Verb
Officers didn’t knock on wealthy families’ doors.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The impact knocked me out instantly.
—Will Rice, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
Persistent knock can mean hotter operation, more stress and potentially expensive issues over time.
—Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Jan. 2026
That’s no knock on Calva, who does as good a job with the role as anyone could have.
—Judy Berman, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Noun
This new film is a very black comedy that is also a heist story with some bloody violence, along with a bit of knockabout slapstick and a theme of family bonds.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock
Adjective
-
His lightning guitar work — alongside a mandolinist, fiddler, upright-bassist and banjo player who are not too shabby on their respective strings themselves — delivered a rollicking half-hour that gave the fans in the bleachers plenty to dance to.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Joy’s jazzy, smoky version of the Marvin Gaye classic, coupled with her velvety vocals, sparked another rollicking ovation led by John who was the first to stand up.—
Gail Mitchell,
Billboard,
4 Feb. 2023
Adjective
-
Well up for the fight in front of their boisterous fans at the Estadio da Luz, however, Benfica went ahead 3-1 before half time and secured a heroic 4-2 win, plus qualification to the knockout phase playoff on goal difference, thanks to goalkeeper Anatoli Trubin’s 98th minute header.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce could get an up-close look at the boisterous behavior next week.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But smart casting, witty writing, lively directing, and artful character development have also yielded the rare superhero riff that, as Kovak puts it, finds the human underneath.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
For 30 minutes, the producers mostly paint with a warm, lively palette, whisking fragments of IDM, ghettotech, and house into a hypnotic swirl.—
Rae-Aila Crumble,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Anderson faced criticism online after his raucous menswear collection, shown during the men’s shows in Paris earlier this month, divided audiences.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
What Don’t Be Dumb does effectively, however, is reestablish Rocky’s auteur-ish tendencies for 2020s hip-hop, drawing throughline between his mixtape days and the raucous, rage-minded sounds that course through much of contemporary rap.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
When Scott was elected in 2020, rowdy groups of teenagers were assaulting visitors in Harborplace just for fun, sending visitors back injured and traumatized, vowing never to return, nor any of their kin.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The former boast a slightly rowdy dive bar atmosphere, while the latter offers tranquil outdoor seating amid architecture reminiscent of bygone Mexico.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In the crowd at that rumbustious Democratic Convention in 1896 was a journeyman journalist, L. Frank Baum, who had a number of careers behind him by that time.—
David McWilliams,
Fortune,
16 Nov. 2025
-
Around this time, the outfit’s quirky, lightly rumbustious songs began to resonate across British press and radio; accessible while containing a marked dose of strangeness, Fontaine’s songwriting – at once emotionally raw and witty – boasted a strong multi-generational appeal.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
Wallace’s piscine material is much more successful in this rambunctious, dynamic, take-it-or-leave-it novelistic form than in his fish-out-of-water public performance, years later, before the class of 2005.—
Hermione Hoby,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The rambunctious 4-year-old – who loved mud and getting dressed up and having dance parties with her brother and sisters – died January 6, after the flu and a co-infection with an adenovirus turned into pneumonia and sepsis.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Customers at Starbucks will be introduced to a new interface with a carnival-style wheel.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
30 Mar. 2023
-
Transform your salad spinner into a carnival-style spin art machine.—
Lauren Piro,
Good Housekeeping,
31 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Knock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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