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
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking off
Verb
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After Elmarko Jackson’s flagrant foul stopping a dunk in transition — the play was called a common foul but quickly upgraded to a flagrant-one — the Jayhawks and Sun Devils came together.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
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The car seemed to struggle to merge left into a turn lane, stopping about 30 feet short of the intersection and blocking a lane of traffic.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Many reactions accused the modern-era dolls of abandoning the American Girl Doll mission of teaching history to young girls.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
25 Feb. 2026
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Still, his comments were enough to get Hilton to claim Bianco was abandoning GOP principles.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Grier could choose to navigate the deadline by parting with some periphery pieces — or even one or two that the Sharks rely on a great deal — but not dramatically subtracting from a group that played its way into playoff contention after a horrid start to the 2025-26 season.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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It was calculated by subtracting the average net price of the school according to College Scorecard, or the average cost to those receiving financial aid, from the average earnings each year after enrollment.—
Sasha Allen,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Musical cues swing wildly from choral eeriness to dead silence to pulsing synths without any discernible logic, frequently robbing scenes of rhythm and dread.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Feb. 2026
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Here, after robbing Sérgio’s casino, Cibele (Adriana Esteves) and Marcinho (Antonio Haddad) skedaddle to a quiet mountain community with Tavares (Cadu Fávero) in hot pursuit.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Each night, the traitors eliminate one faithful by figuratively murdering them, ending their time on the show.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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People being selfish, people being greedy, people murdering other people, people kidnapping other people, taking advantage of women, people taking advantage of children, all of this awful stuff.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Talarico’s victory marks a preliminary triumph for Democrats who argued that the path to ending the party’s 32-year statewide losing streak runs through coalition-building.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
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With Monday evening performances canceled and piles of snow keeping pedestrians and drivers at bay, total grosses fell to $26,036,589 for the week ending March 1, down from $32M the previous week.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Perry and Jungkeit both said that the call to repentance didn’t spell out any specific actions — although ICE agents quitting their jobs could be one possibility.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
19 Feb. 2026
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Jackson employed the same strategy as Breadbasket, never quitting the strategy of action alongside conversation.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rather than deducting expenses, the 70% split remaining with the league would be used to cover costs.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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In addition, Dawson evaded paying state taxes and payroll taxes by failing to file the necessary tax returns, while deducting payroll taxes from the teachers’ paychecks and using those deductions for himself, the criminal complaint alleges.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20off. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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