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
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 knocking down
That's not with decoys, that's not with other means that would try to misdirect our interceptors from knocking down incoming missiles with nuclear warheads on them.
—
ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
The contestants then had to compete in a physically taxing challenge that involved pushing a heavy cart along a bumpy path, stacking sand bags, climbing ladders, knocking discs off poles, and then finally knocking down four bamboo targets.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
And the autumn Paris weather played nice — just a few gusts knocking down some lamps and a few showers prompting umbrellas to save our gear!
—Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
But his abrupt reversal sparked outrage amid images of a bulldozer knocking down walls.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
The clip shows one feline running in circles with a bag stuck on its head, bumping into the furniture and nearly knocking down the home decor.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
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
ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
The contestants then had to compete in a physically taxing challenge that involved pushing a heavy cart along a bumpy path, stacking sand bags, climbing ladders, knocking discs off poles, and then finally knocking down four bamboo targets.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
And the autumn Paris weather played nice — just a few gusts knocking down some lamps and a few showers prompting umbrellas to save our gear!
—Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
But his abrupt reversal sparked outrage amid images of a bulldozer knocking down walls.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
The clip shows one feline running in circles with a bag stuck on its head, bumping into the furniture and nearly knocking down the home decor.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking down
Verb
-
Double-winning trio Alejandro Grimaldo, Edmond Tapsoba and Patrik Schick are all still at the club, providing at least some continuity in support.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
American Express Dining and drinks All the food and drinks are curated by The Culinary Collective by The Centurion Lounge, a collection of James Beard® Award-winning Resy chefs, including Mashama Bailey, Sarah Grueneberg, Kwame Onwuachi and Mike Solomonov, as well as bar director Harrison Ginsberg.—
Lori Zaino,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Following an intense comeback that ended with Texas taking down the Bulldogs 45-38 in overtime, Sarkisian voiced his irritation with the report.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In 2024, Brock lost the regular-season contest 38-0 but put together a shocking bounce-back performance in the regional finals, taking down Graham 12-10 in triple overtime.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Prosecutor Andrew Figliuzzi claimed Chambers dined at a Houston restaurant before hitting three bars on the night of the crash, per the Chronicle, allegedly downing at least six alcoholic beverages and using cocaine.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Have an experience close to sipping wine than downing grain alcohol.—
Jahan Marcu,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to the current lawsuit, Fletcher has not paid his half of the minimum $1,500 per month restitution for the existing settlement, but his ex-wife has paid her portion, reducing the restitution balance to just under $56,000.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Nov. 2025
-
These are all part of standard advice for good sleep hygiene, which also includes reducing screen use before bed and creating a regular evening routine, like reading or listening to calming music.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Until this year, people with lower incomes — earning up to about 150% of the federal poverty level, or roughly $23,500 for an individual — could sign up for ACA coverage at any time, not just during open enrollment.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Those annual wages may be used as part of the 35 highest-earning years the Social Security Administration uses to calculate your retirement benefits, Valega said.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The storm brought with it one symbolic bit of dismantling.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
-
His work dismantling an illicit money-changing operation in Miami even earned him a public rebuke in 2010 from Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s predecessor.—
Joshua Goodman,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The most jaw-dropping deal of them all is the Patagonia Maipo Dress, a compressive travel dress that’s currently $91 off.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The Charter battle, which resulted in a 10-day blackout and ultimately a game-changing agreement dropping some linear network carriage but bolstering Disney+ and Hulu, got the entire industry’s attention.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After a round of layoffs in September, Benioff said AI is decreasing his need for customer support staff.—
Aman Kidwai,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
When women undergo perimenopause or menopause, decreasing estrogen levels put them at greater risk of heart disease.—
Sandra Rose Salathe,
Flow Space,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knocking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20down. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share