knock up

Definition of knock upnext
British
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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of knock up 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
  • Persistent overheating triggers wake signals.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The fear of having Amazon eat its lunch woke Walmart up.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The session blends gentle Vinyasa flow to awaken and soften the body with grounding meditation to quiet the mind, release tension, and restore balance.
    Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
  • As the campaign took shape, Crockett stumped in urban areas, trying to awaken and broaden the base; more than a million Texas Democrats who voted in 2020 stayed home in 2024.
    Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • With Golden State star Stephen Curry nursing a right knee injury, NBA commissioner Adam Silver awoke Tuesday needing to select a replacement player for Sunday’s All-Star tournament.
    Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Ashur awakes in this alternative timeline, but not all is blissful.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Knock up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20up. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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