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
• breaking in
• sacking
• sticking up
• burgling
• looting
• stripping
• plundering
• cheating
• rifling
• ransacking
• plucking
• pillaging
• ravishing
• exploiting
• defrauding
• holding up
• despoiling
• bleeding
• stinging
• sticking
• swindling
• spoiling
• shortchanging
• fleecing
• chiseling
• squeezing
• 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

Following wins over Coastal Carolina (31-24) and UT Martin (52-7) to open, perhaps the Mountaineers will get some attention as a Big 12 title contender after knocking off previously unbeaten Virginia. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

The Colts were just one touchdown drive away from knocking off the Texans in the regular-season finale and securing a postseason berth, but an errant pass from Minshew on fourth-and-1 spelled the end of their season. — James Boyd, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Corona del Mar has the favorite’s role after knocking off Edison last week. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Season 3 wrapped in April 2025, knocking off multiple fan-favorite characters and some big-name guest players. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 2026

Additionally, Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga won the WWE Tag Team Championship in a triple-threat match, knocking off Damian Priest and R-Truth as the title-holders and keeping Erik and Ivar from adding more gold around their waists. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Other contenders on the stage gave far better answers, but Jackson is the one who is on the cusp of becoming the Democratic nominee in Maine, where the party has its most realistic shot at knocking off an incumbent Republican Senator. — Philip Elliott, Time, 23 July 2026

But if Bellingham leads the Three Lions to immortality, knocking off the reigning champ in the process, Icons certainly won’t be complaining. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 15 July 2026

The same energy that helped elect Zohran Mamdani has fueled a string of insurgent victories, knocking off longtime officeholders and helping progress challengers break through in New York and Colorado. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 14 July 2026