1
as in bumped
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 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 blamed
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knocked
The woman, who was on her cellphone, recalled being knocked to the ground and forced into the van.
—
Sean Emery, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Reese knocked the ball loose from Sonia Citron in the closing seconds, a defensive play that would have sealed the comeback narrative.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Serra could have knocked him out cold.
—Timothy J. Pawl, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2026
The Blue Devils were unable to get a final shot off after an inbounds pass was knocked away.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
After the Indiana crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration knocked the company that employed the driver out of service and pulled the DOT numbers assigned to two other companies that were linked to AJ Partners.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Feb. 2026
Williams knocked knees late in the fourth quarter against Houston and immediately grimaced, but didn’t show any effects after posting 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2026
Arguably the best Canadian Olympian in history, Crosby, may not play because of an injury that knocked him out of the quarterfinals.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 21 Feb. 2026
Cooper went up for a fast-break dunk and Jamerson knocked him to the floor.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Sean Emery, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Reese knocked the ball loose from Sonia Citron in the closing seconds, a defensive play that would have sealed the comeback narrative.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
Serra could have knocked him out cold.
—Timothy J. Pawl, The Conversation, 23 Feb. 2026
The Blue Devils were unable to get a final shot off after an inbounds pass was knocked away.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
After the Indiana crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration knocked the company that employed the driver out of service and pulled the DOT numbers assigned to two other companies that were linked to AJ Partners.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Feb. 2026
Williams knocked knees late in the fourth quarter against Houston and immediately grimaced, but didn’t show any effects after posting 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2026
Arguably the best Canadian Olympian in history, Crosby, may not play because of an injury that knocked him out of the quarterfinals.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 21 Feb. 2026
Cooper went up for a fast-break dunk and Jamerson knocked him to the floor.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocked
Verb
-
Since hitting 92 percent of its target, the company bumped that goal up to 65 billion bottles recycled by 2030.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Sourcing Journal,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The Cowboys were bumped down in categories like training room (D), locker room (B-plus) and team travel (C) compared to last year’s survey.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the bottom of the inning, Temo Becerra, a senior, hit just his fourth collegiate homer with a shot into the Crawford Boxes in left field.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The heated rivalry between the Pentagon and Anthropic just hit a new horizon Friday.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The post, which was later deleted, was blamed on a staffer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
About 100 deaths were blamed on that devastating storm across the entire East Coast.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Panthers forward, 28, dedicated his gold medal to Gaudreau, a Columbus Blue Jackets and fellow national team player, who died cycling in August 2024 when a drunk driver allegedly swerved and slammed into his bicycle.—
Chris Kudialis,
Miami Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
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Many city Democrats quickly took the position that this showed bad management by Stewart, while Stewart’s defenders slammed the action as a political smear.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There was that type of moment Tuesday, when Joe Mack – considered one of the top catching prospects in baseball - smacked a fifth-inning grand slam off Phillies’ minor league pitcher Andrew Walling in a 6-1 Marlins win.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of last year’s World Series, Ernie Clement smacked a fly ball off Yoshinobu Yamamoto into the left-center-field gap with the bases loaded and the score tied.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The treatment of many Minnesota residents by ICE and CBP agents, which resulted in, among other things, the very public killing of Good and Alex Pretti, both US citizens – has been roundly criticized.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
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It might also be criticized for saying nothing about whether any or all of that money should be rebated to the countries that paid the money and the companies that experienced price increases for their products as a result of higher tariffs.—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sadberry limped off the floor in the third quarter with a cramp after someone banged into her knee.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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While trying to duck under the very first beam in the very first challenge at the marooning, Bruce banged and bloodied his head, suffering a concussion.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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From there Moss scrapped to two outs, but the Bruins worked the bases loaded before Martin slapped a single up the middle to drive in two runs.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
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Kyiv's allies have slapped heavy sanctions on Moscow, forcing it to redirect its key oil exports toward new markets, particularly in Asia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocked. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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