1
as in winning
to receive as return for effort
she's knocking down a good salary, but she has to work very hard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in taking down
to take apart
right after the holidays the stores start to knock down the window displays
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in downing
to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall
the overexcited dog knocked the toddler down
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in reducing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
they'll have to knock down the price of those televisions if they expect to sell any
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knocking down
The footage showed the elephant, which may have weighed 10,000 pounds, knocking down a female tourist into the waters with her trunk, and then briefly pinning her before giving up, the outlet reported.
—
David Chiu, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Firefighters initially took a defensive stance, fighting the blaze from the outside the building to stop its spread, before knocking down the flames enough for crews to enter the business, which had its windows boarded up because of vandalism earlier in the week.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The first clue directs teams to an ice rink where duos must push each other on sleds with the goal of knocking down bowling pins.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 25 Sep. 2025
The Dodgers’ bullpen has become the problem child at daycare, knocking down the blocks stacked up by other kids.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
Building it—the final phase of the project—will likely require knocking down some adjacent apartment buildings and displacing residents.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The Tumi Alpha 3 Collection International Expandable Carry-on is currently 20 percent off, knocking down its over $1,000 price tag to $819.
—Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2025
Had a stray dog run up the stairs, knocking down the plant?
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The new mall owners opposed Kroger’s plans, which included knocking down the old Sears and building a new grocery store that wasn’t attached to the rest of the mall.
—Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2025
David Chiu, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Firefighters initially took a defensive stance, fighting the blaze from the outside the building to stop its spread, before knocking down the flames enough for crews to enter the business, which had its windows boarded up because of vandalism earlier in the week.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The first clue directs teams to an ice rink where duos must push each other on sleds with the goal of knocking down bowling pins.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 25 Sep. 2025
The Dodgers’ bullpen has become the problem child at daycare, knocking down the blocks stacked up by other kids.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
Building it—the final phase of the project—will likely require knocking down some adjacent apartment buildings and displacing residents.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The Tumi Alpha 3 Collection International Expandable Carry-on is currently 20 percent off, knocking down its over $1,000 price tag to $819.
—Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2025
Had a stray dog run up the stairs, knocking down the plant?
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The new mall owners opposed Kroger’s plans, which included knocking down the old Sears and building a new grocery store that wasn’t attached to the rest of the mall.
—Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking down
Verb
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The combo is a winning recipe that has kept this neighborhood favorite happily busy since 1993.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
-
On one hand, winning another chip will be at the forefront, so managing players toward the end of the regular season would be logical.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the Trojans are hovering at 14 percent and would give their case some legitimacy by taking down the Wolverines.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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The New York Giants recorded their first win of the 2025 NFL season in Week 4, taking down the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers 21-18 on Sunday.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Then there's the mental hurdle of downing a glass of brown or yellow liquid.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
17 Oct. 2025
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The junior running back rushed for a pair of touchdowns and caught another as his team recovered a fumble and recorded three interceptions en route to downing crosstown rival East Ridge 23-15 at TCO Stadium in Eagan.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Actions the report calls for include rapidly reducing planet-heating pollution and scaling up carbon removal from the atmosphere.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
13 Oct. 2025
-
See video … LISTEN Tune in to the FOX NEWS RUNDOWN PODCAST to learn how the White House plans to strengthen control over critical minerals while reducing dependence on China.—
,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gehman, then a graduate student earning a doctorate in disease ecology, had heard about a mysterious illness sweeping through the Pacific coast’s iconic invertebrates.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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The role players swung the Pacers’ season — and thus, even with Tyrese Haliburton earning All-NBA accolades, the role players determined the conference.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As arena employees started dismantling the balloon columns decorating the venue and turning hordes of mostly female fans away, there was a frenzy of frustrated tweeting and lots of tears.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
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An additional 62 canisters rest horizontally nearby — 50 of them filled with fuel assemblies from the time the facility generated power and another 12 containing radioactive debris from dismantling the plant.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Yet just east of the busy Grand Canyon Village lies a stretch of road with equally jaw-dropping vistas and far fewer crowds.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Oct. 2025
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Though the number of uninsured motorist was decreasing during the 2010s, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed the trend, with some Americans, who were driving less often, dropping their insurance, USA TODAY reported.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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High pressure will build in behind the storm, resulting in dry weather and decreasing winds.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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Moreover, parlay bets are getting more complicated as time goes on, decreasing the chances of winning.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knocking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20down. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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