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
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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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Days after winning the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership, a victory that would normally all but guarantee the premiership, Takaichi was dealt an unexpected setback.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
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A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces celebrates with Chelsea Gray #12 and Jewell Loyd #24 after winning game four of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs finals at Mortgage Matchup Center on October 10, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 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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Russia's Defense Ministry reported downing a total of 2,788 long-range Ukrainian drones during September, at an average of just under 93 per day.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
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Jim Lorentz crossed paths with the American Motel in Wheat Ridge many times — whether as a cop hauling out a domestic violence suspect, as a diner downing comfort food in the restaurant or as a guest in the Elvis suite on his wedding night.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
21 Sep. 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
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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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In addition to being popular with audiences, critics have also praised Bates’ performance, with the actress earning an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for the first season.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
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Beats Deals The Beats Pill delivers a high-quality, bass-forward sound signature, earning it our Editors' Choice award for portable Bluetooth speakers.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The sequence, with its jarringly melancholy musical choice and frenzied editing, conveys Mussolini’s personal and patriotic betrayals and dismantling of systems and relationships so devastatingly that the series doesn’t need to explicitly close the tragic loop.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
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This is a sister organization to the Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind Project 2025—a sweeping conservative policy blueprint aimed at reshaping the federal government by expanding presidential power, dismantling parts of the civil service, and rolling back regulations across agencies.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Tar Heels were blown out 38-10 by the Clemson Tigers in Week 6, dropping the program to 2-3 under first-year head coach Bill Belichick.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Oct. 2025
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One former OpenAI employee who was not authorized to speak publicly said being worried about safety protections dropping over time is a legitimate fear.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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John McAdorey / Shutterstock file Flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport faced delays of around 30 minutes late Tuesday afternoon, but the delay times were decreasing, the FAA said.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
8 Oct. 2025
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It can be tuned to match your weight and riding style simply by increasing or decreasing the air pressure.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knocking down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20down. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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