knocked up

Definition of knocked upnext
past tense of knock up, British

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 knocked up Elle Fanning stars as Margo, a young college student who gets knocked up by one of her professors and decides to move back home and have the baby. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 The pair collided with such force that Dumoulin got knocked up about two feet in the air before landing hard on his padded backside. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 27 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocked up
Verb
  • The name of the person who woke him up was redacted.
    Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
  • My hero tenderly wrapped his snow-white daughter in a cravat; my heroine woke with a stab of fear, wondering where her stomach had gone.
    Eloisa James, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • One prompted stories of an old cowboy sitting alone on a porch, surveying a ghost town; another prompted stories about a sun rising over a meadow, where tiny creatures awakened and started to frolic.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
  • Seeing her life through Meehan’s eyes awakened something in her.
    Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • The 68-year-old suspect awoke and got into an argument with the victim that turned physical.
    Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
  • One night, Montiel's mother awoke to find her daughter's bedsheets red with blood − a result of hemorrhaging and bloody diarrhea, caused by the virus.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 11 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Knocked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocked%20up. Accessed 22 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster