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
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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 latest plan to revive the site includes knocking down the building and rebuilding a near-replica that will be part community gathering space and restaurant and live music venue.
—
Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
Williams pops off Williams scored 10 early points, knocking down a few 3-pointers and dropping in a layup to get the crowd going, and then canning a smooth midrange shot to get up to double figures within five minutes.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
The role players consistently knocking down shots would be big too.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 11 May 2026
French guard Marine Johannes was equally unstoppable, knocking down five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points on top of five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
The aftermath of the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision knocking down a key protection in the Voting Rights Act is reverberating across the nation.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Repeatedly knocking down small nests may discourage the queen from starting another nest in that spot.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
As their mutual competitiveness grows shockingly ugly, Niall learns to turn Ruben’s Samsonian strength and fury against him, knocking down the pillars of Ruben’s own life.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
In the past, even when Gobert has done his job to the best of anyone’s abilities, Jokic has often found answers in the form of knocking down outside jumpers or by flashing his feathery touch in the midrange.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
Williams pops off Williams scored 10 early points, knocking down a few 3-pointers and dropping in a layup to get the crowd going, and then canning a smooth midrange shot to get up to double figures within five minutes.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
The role players consistently knocking down shots would be big too.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 11 May 2026
French guard Marine Johannes was equally unstoppable, knocking down five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points on top of five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
The aftermath of the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision knocking down a key protection in the Voting Rights Act is reverberating across the nation.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Repeatedly knocking down small nests may discourage the queen from starting another nest in that spot.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
As their mutual competitiveness grows shockingly ugly, Niall learns to turn Ruben’s Samsonian strength and fury against him, knocking down the pillars of Ruben’s own life.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
In the past, even when Gobert has done his job to the best of anyone’s abilities, Jokic has often found answers in the form of knocking down outside jumpers or by flashing his feathery touch in the midrange.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking down
Verb
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The Oscar-winning actor is miscast and never becomes his legendary character, which puts a damper on the film.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
-
Ganesha received three hits from Logan Schmidt to rally for a 2-1 win over Newport Harbor, winning it on a walk-off hit batter in the bottom of the seventh.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Roberts opened up the space by taking down office partitions in the roughly 1,500-square-foot store, 3941 Park Drive, Suite 80.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
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On Monday morning, Stockton police returned to the area, taking down tents and removing people still living near the slough.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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But Romania has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.—
Stephen McGrath,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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In December 2024, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency released footage appearing to show a Magura V5 naval drone armed with R-73 air-to-air missiles downing a Russian Mi-8 helicopter over the Black Sea near occupied Crimea.—
David Kirichenko,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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But after years of record investment by the state in such wildfire risk mitigation, two key money sources are drying up, potentially reducing the state’s annual budget for vegetation removal by hundreds of millions of dollars.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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Although reducing carbon pollution, which stays in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, is key to tackling the climate crisis, slashing methane has been seen as something of a low-hanging fruit.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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In 2022, drivers for food delivery platforms Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, and Relay were revealed by New York’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to be earning half their income in pay, and half in tips.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
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Compared to Florida’s other high-earning workers, Rodrigues and Kamoutsas also make the most relative to the median pay of their departmental colleagues.—
Shirsho Dasgupta
May 28,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The budgetary savings from the city’s dismantling of the green infrastructure office and termination of the office’s director remains unclear.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026
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By analyzing them, the scientists can determine the exact composition of unknown or shielded nuclear materials without dismantling them.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
Verb
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His perfect parade was broken up by an error in the fourth inning when miscommunication between Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker led to Trea Turner’s fly ball glancing off Tucker’s glove and dropping to the warning track uncaught.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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As vehicles drive by on a nearby road, he can be seen dropping to the ground.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
Verb
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His attorney, Doug Kelley, released a statement touting successes during O'Hara's tenure, including diversifying and increasing the department's ranks, the decreasing violent crime rate and mitigating violent clashes during the immigration crackdown.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
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Some residents have raised concerns about how cutting property taxes would impact the city’s financial health by decreasing revenue.—
Tess Riski
May 28,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20down. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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