1
as in stopping
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
knock it off!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
5
as in murdering
to put to death deliberately
various assassins have tried to knock off the dictator over the years
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 off
Now three weeks into jogging on his full body weight, Kittle is looking forward to getting cleared for football movements — run blocking, pass protection, route running, and rust knocking off.
—
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 4 June 2026
Chris Curry’s club got to this point by sweeping the Hattiesburg Regional, knocking off host Southern Miss on Friday and then beating Jacksonville State on Saturday and Sunday.
—Mitch Light, New York Times, 3 June 2026
What wasn’t was Eastern Michigan and Oceanside’s Leovao twins first surviving Sunday’s stroke-play cut from 30 to 15 teams, then advancing to Tuesday morning’s quarterfinals, then knocking off Texas in dramatic fashion to reach the afternoon semis.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Their reward for knocking off the second-best team in the conference was a short turnaround trip to high altitude to face the top team in Colorado.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026
Vegas has reached its fifth conference final in its nine-year existence by reeling off 15 wins in 20 games under Tortorella, knocking off Utah and then Anaheim in the playoffs.
—Nate Peterson, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Atascocita rose to the occasion again, however, knocking off the Spartans in another overtime thriller.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
Texas, meanwhile, rode the momentum after knocking off likely NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa and BYU in the first round.
—Anne M. Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Two of the biggest of the first day were Atlantic 10 champion Virginia Commonwealth — the 11th seed in the West Region — beating 6th seed and perennial power North Carolina, and Big South Champion High Point — a 12th seed in the West — knocking off 5th seed Wisconsin from the Big Ten.
—Josh Taylor, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 4 June 2026
Chris Curry’s club got to this point by sweeping the Hattiesburg Regional, knocking off host Southern Miss on Friday and then beating Jacksonville State on Saturday and Sunday.
—Mitch Light, New York Times, 3 June 2026
What wasn’t was Eastern Michigan and Oceanside’s Leovao twins first surviving Sunday’s stroke-play cut from 30 to 15 teams, then advancing to Tuesday morning’s quarterfinals, then knocking off Texas in dramatic fashion to reach the afternoon semis.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Their reward for knocking off the second-best team in the conference was a short turnaround trip to high altitude to face the top team in Colorado.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026
Vegas has reached its fifth conference final in its nine-year existence by reeling off 15 wins in 20 games under Tortorella, knocking off Utah and then Anaheim in the playoffs.
—Nate Peterson, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Atascocita rose to the occasion again, however, knocking off the Spartans in another overtime thriller.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
Texas, meanwhile, rode the momentum after knocking off likely NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa and BYU in the first round.
—Anne M. Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Two of the biggest of the first day were Atlantic 10 champion Virginia Commonwealth — the 11th seed in the West Region — beating 6th seed and perennial power North Carolina, and Big South Champion High Point — a 12th seed in the West — knocking off 5th seed Wisconsin from the Big Ten.
—Josh Taylor, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking off
Verb
-
The latest the series can end is June 17; the shield stopping him from answering questions — not just about his past, but his present and future — is likely to stay in place.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
Texas is split down the middle on which issue should take priority — stopping voter fraud or preventing eligible citizens from being turned away at the ballot box — as a poll shows the split is not a sign of moderation but of deep partisan polarization.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
These networks are viewed with less enthusiasm in the age of streaming, because more consumers are abandoning their cable subscriptions in favor of streaming services.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 June 2026
-
Blanche said later at the hearing that the DOJ wasn't abandoning the tax portion of the settlement.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
What did help ease respondent's minds, based on the survey results, was having a higher net worth, found by subtracting a household's liabilities from its assets.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
-
This measures the degree by which tuition, donations and investment revenue cover a college’s educational expenses by subtracting its core expenses from its core revenues and dividing the difference by its core revenues.—
Matt Schifrin,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
In the late 1990s, officers from a gang unit in the LAPD’s Rampart Division were accused of robbing people and planting evidence, among other crimes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
This talent is noticed by Josh Gad (yes, played by Josh Gad) who puts Doorman into his bank-robbing heist movie franchise.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Worthington plays David Burroughs, a man wrongfully serving a life sentence for murdering his son.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Hunter was convicted of murdering Green — who knew him only as his alias, Michael Berry — 24 years after her body was found in the trunk of her own car in the parking lot of a Walgreen’s store in Sanford.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Hong Kong/Hangzhou — Stephen Curry announced a partnership for his signature brand with Li-Ning on Monday, ending his sneaker free agency in a major win for the Chinese sportswear giant.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
Rasmus Hojlund confirmed last month that Napoli’s qualification for the Champions League triggered a clause which will turn his loan deal permanent, ending a three-year spell as a United player.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Nicotine is among the most addictive substances known, altering the brain’s reward pathways and making quitting notoriously difficult.—
Kimberly McCreight,
Time,
3 June 2026
-
Pollard, who’d been a first-round pick out of the University of Kansas in the 1998 NBA Draft, thought of quitting.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Kean is counting on voters rewarding him for tax cuts that Trump signed into law last year, including easing the restrictions on deducting state and local taxes, or SALT, a big issue for upper middle-class homeowners in high-tax blue states like New Jersey.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2026
-
Stop adding to the system and start deducting from it.—
Aaron Levine,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20off. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
