Synonyms of knocking off

knocking off

verb

present participle of knock off

1

as in stopping

to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end

knock it off!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stopping
• ending
• ceasing
• halting
• cutting off
• laying off
• shutting off
• breaking off
• cutting out
• leaving off
• quitting
• packing (up or in)
• giving over
• breaking up
• delaying
• dropping
• desisting (from)
• having done with
• putting the kibosh on
• suspending
• finishing
• concluding
• discontinuing
• closing (down)
• breaking
• canning
• holding back
• checking
• turning back
• completing
• clamping down
• reining (in)
• blocking
• pausing
• holding
• stemming
• ruining
• staying
• impeding
• obstructing
• hindering
• deactivating
• suppressing
• kiboshing
• detaining
• aborting
• braking
• destroying
• stamping
• blockading
• damming
• calling
• arresting
• killing
• dissolving
• abolishing
• stunting
• scuttling
• squelching
• squashing
• demolishing
• snuffing
• annulling
• stanching

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• carrying on
• running on
• continuing
• keeping up
• proceeding
• following through (with)
• progressing
• advancing
• driving
• stirring
• actuating
• propelling
• impelling

2

as in abandoning

to stop doing (something) permanently

decided it was time to knock off telling fantastic fibs about her family background

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abandoning
• quitting
• discontinuing
• laying off (of)
• dropping
• having done (with)
• packing (up or in)
• giving up
• ending
• hanging it up
• shutting off
• breaking off
• finishing
• tapering off
• breaking up
• leaving off
• concluding
• throwing up
• closing
• ceasing
• winding up
• halting
• pausing
• expiring
• rounding (off or out)
• wrapping up
• terminating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• carrying on
• keeping up
• continuing
• running on
• maintaining
• keeping
• hanging on
• going
• hanging in
• holding on
• persisting
• staying
• reopening
• preserving
• renewing
• beginning
• persevering
• starting
• following through (with)
• resuming
• commencing
• restarting

3

as in subtracting

to take away (an amount or number) from a total

a proposal to knock 10 cents off the gasoline tax

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subtracting
• deducting
• taking off
• reducing
• cutting down
• discounting
• cutting back
• decreasing
• abating
• knocking down
• diminishing
• downsizing
• dwindling
• lessening
• lowering
• slashing
• shortening
• clipping
• pruning
• curtailing
• cutting
• paring
• cropping
• abridging
• trimming
• whittling
• docking
• truncating
• retrenching
• abbreviating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tacking (on)
• adding
• adjoining
• annexing
• appending
• supplementing
• complementing
• increasing
• enhancing
• intensifying
• expanding
• magnifying
• heightening
• multiplying
• raising
• escalating
• enlarging
• augmenting
• boosting
• amplifying
• compounding
• beefing (up)
• aggrandizing

4

as in robbing

to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully

Bonnie and Clyde coped with the Great Depression by knocking off banks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• robbing
• stealing (from)
• knocking over
• ripping off
• taking off
• burglarizing
• sacking
• breaking in
• sticking up
• looting
• burgling
• stripping
• plundering
• cheating
• rifling
• plucking
• ransacking
• exploiting
• pillaging
• ravishing
• defrauding
• holding up
• despoiling
• bleeding
• stinging
• sticking
• swindling
• spoiling
• shortchanging
• fleecing
• squeezing
• chiseling
• hustling
• skinning
• mugging
• mulcting
• rolling
• rooking
• cozening

5

as in murdering

to put to death deliberately

various assassins have tried to knock off the dictator over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• murdering
• assassinating
• taking out
• slaying
• putting away
• executing
• doing in
• doing away with
• bumping off
• killing
• rubbing out
• getting
• dispatching
• neutralizing
• cutting down
• terminating
• blowing away
• whacking
• snuffing
• liquidating
• destroying
• icing
• shooting down
• slaughtering
• carrying off
• shooting
• offing
• blotting out
• croaking
• wiping out
• mowing (down)
• claiming
• eliminating
• zapping
• smiting
• felling
• eradicating
• butchering
• massacring
• exterminating
• annihilating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• raising
• restoring
• reviving
• animating
• resurrecting
• resuscitating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of knocking off

The inaugural Hockey City Classic — which also featured Wisconsin knocking off Minnesota — drew more than 52,000 people. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026

Ted Hotaling‘s squad won three straight NEC games in January, knocking off FDU, Wagner and Chicago State. —Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026

The senior guard finished with a game-high 14 points, as the Panthers closed things on a late 10-0 run en route to knocking off rival Duxbury. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 11 Feb. 2026

Because chucking a mini pillow and knocking off a person’s hat is *thisclose* to knocking off a person. —Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026

Freedom was able to avenge a district championship loss to Lake Nona by knocking off the defending state champs in a quarterfinal rematch 2-0 in overtime. —Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026

The college football season ended Monday night with Indiana knocking off Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game. —Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026

Therefore Primate and its promising central character turns more into a typical slasher flick, repeatedly knocking off the swimsuit-wearing teens one by one, his specialty being yanking out jaws and other bloody grossouts. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026

There were several games to keep an eye on — most notably the Arizona Wildcats knocking off the defending NCAA champion Florida Gators. —Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025