1
as in stopped
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
knock it off!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abandoned
to stop doing (something) permanently
decided it was time to knock off telling fantastic fibs about her family background
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in subtracted
to take away (an amount or number) from a total
a proposal to knock 10 cents off the gasoline tax
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in robbed
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
Bonnie and Clyde coped with the Great Depression by knocking off banks
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in assassinated
to put to death deliberately
various assassins have tried to knock off the dictator over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 knocked off
After the next batter struck out, senior third baseman Grant Umbright smashed a single that nearly knocked off the third baseman’s glove before hurtling into left field.
—
Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Orlando Magic knocked off the Detroit Pistons, the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
She’s been knocked off ladders and thrown in dumpsters, and yet, strings of bad luck have kept her off the WrestleMania card for the last three years.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Teddy Shuman went the distance, allowing just four hits while striking out two in a complete game shutout as Canton knocked off Hockomock League titan Taunton, 2-0.
—Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
The Los Angeles Kings visit the Vancouver Canucks after the Canucks knocked off the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in overtime.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
The new kid on the block knocked off all the others in voting for the best pizza in Rhode Island.
—Kathleen Hill, The Providence Journal, 11 Apr. 2026
The tournament’s top overall seed, Duke, lost in the Elite Eight in dramatic fashion, while fellow 1-seed Florida was knocked off in the second round.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
The junior racked up four hits and added a pair of RBIs as Dublin knocked off Foothill 10-8 in East Bay Athletic League action.
—Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Orlando Magic knocked off the Detroit Pistons, the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
She’s been knocked off ladders and thrown in dumpsters, and yet, strings of bad luck have kept her off the WrestleMania card for the last three years.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Teddy Shuman went the distance, allowing just four hits while striking out two in a complete game shutout as Canton knocked off Hockomock League titan Taunton, 2-0.
—Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
The Los Angeles Kings visit the Vancouver Canucks after the Canucks knocked off the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in overtime.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
The new kid on the block knocked off all the others in voting for the best pizza in Rhode Island.
—Kathleen Hill, The Providence Journal, 11 Apr. 2026
The tournament’s top overall seed, Duke, lost in the Elite Eight in dramatic fashion, while fellow 1-seed Florida was knocked off in the second round.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
The junior racked up four hits and added a pair of RBIs as Dublin knocked off Foothill 10-8 in East Bay Athletic League action.
—Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocked off
Verb
-
To encompass the story, about a miracle from 847, when Pope Leo IV stopped a fire with a blessing, Raphael brings you into the fresco through the unshod feet of a woman in agony and leaves you near the very back, with a tiny and serene Leo IV.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
If the game stopped at this point, Fermat’s method for dividing the pot would list all possible outcomes of those five coin flips and then tally the ones that amassed 10 points for each player.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And the paintings began, in part, as a meditation on erasure—a rebuke, of sorts, to a digital regime that had abandoned writing’s tactility.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The speed problem Imas hasn’t abandoned his fears.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Demerits are subtracted from a starting score of 100, which is considered perfect.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
-
This new deduction allows up to $25,000 in tip income to be subtracted from a worker’s taxable income during the 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 tax years.—
Annette Nellen,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
McCoy was once considered a top-10 pick, but the 6-foot, 195-pound corner sustained a torn ACL during offseason workouts in January 2025 that robbed him of his junior season.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The terrifying story of how Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint during Paris Fashion Week in 2016 is being made into a Canal+ doc series.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Utah Valley University has dropped its commencement speaker, Sharon McMahon, after conservative groups criticized her over past comments about Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on campus during his American Comeback Tour in September.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The same forces also assassinated Lebanon’s president-elect, Bashir Gemayel, in 1982 and Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some galleries, including Sean Kelly and Tanya Bonakdar of New York, have closed their LA outposts or ceased mounting exhibitions there.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Since then, the construction company filed for bankruptcy and seemingly ceased operations.—
Gabriela Vidal,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Research published last year on Japanese nursing homes found that robot adoption reduced worker quit rates and was associated with better care quality.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
-
While Rose and Blue had both worked for the same software company, Rose had quit her job, and Blue was expected to return to work on April 1, but did not.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Late tax payments can be deducted from those refunds, or might need to have a certificate of error applied for a missing exemption or incorrect assessment.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Automatic service fees for large parties at a restaurant cannot be deducted as a qualifying tip, for instance.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocked off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocked%20off. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
