1
as in stopping
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
knock it off!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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 Penguins received a bye in the first round, and the Thunderbirds upset Providence in Round 2 after knocking off Charlotte in the first round.
—
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 11 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
The Ladyjacks secured their trip to Austin by knocking off the top two seeds at the Southland Conference Tournament.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
Three days after knocking off section top-seed Holy Family, Blake beat fourth-seed Minneapolis North 64-54 in the semifinals.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2026
Although the close game was unfamiliar for Madison, Brownfield was used to it after knocking off Shallowater by scoring five points in the final two seconds of the regional final last week.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 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
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 11 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
The Ladyjacks secured their trip to Austin by knocking off the top two seeds at the Southland Conference Tournament.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
Three days after knocking off section top-seed Holy Family, Blake beat fourth-seed Minneapolis North 64-54 in the semifinals.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2026
Although the close game was unfamiliar for Madison, Brownfield was used to it after knocking off Shallowater by scoring five points in the final two seconds of the regional final last week.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking off
Verb
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Those unable to swim two lengths of the pool without stopping should have a parent remain close enough to reach them.—
Laura Berrios,
AJC.com,
19 May 2026
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The storm never fully fired, and Lisius and George eventually made their way back to Arlington, stopping for tacos along the way.—
Emily Holshouser
May 19,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Musk is currently embroiled in a court battle against OpenAI, accusing CEO Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of abandoning the company’s original nonprofit creed of developing open-source AI to benefit humans by turning it into a for-profit entity.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
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The report comes as Netflix, which is the largest subscription streaming platform in the world by far, is charting a path forward on its own after abandoning its pursuit of Warner Bros.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Verb
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That metric compares grads' total earnings over a period of time with those of workers without bachelor's degrees, while also subtracting educational expenses such as tuition, room and board and income lost while attending college.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
15 May 2026
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Decarbonization is a six-syllable mouthful about subtracting something invisible from our lives.—
John Reid,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Gaff was charged with raping, robbing and murdering Weaver, according to court documents.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
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Warnock says Republicans 'robbing' Georgians of their voice Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock has been vocal about the Louisiana decision in the weeks since, and has long made voting rights and protections a key part of his platform.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Caneiro, 59, received four consecutive life sentences after being found guilty in February of murdering his brother, Keith, and his brother's family.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
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In 2004, a jury found Peterson guilty of murdering his wife and child.—
Alexiah Syrai Olsen,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Announced Tuesday, the Mavericks and Kidd mutually agreed to part ways, ending a coaching tenure that began in 2021 and concluded with an even 205-205 regular-season record.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2026
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Cuffe redshirted during the Jayhawks’ 2022 national championship season and then played in just two games for head coach Bill Self before suffering a season-ending injury in 2022-23.—
Gary Bedore
May 18,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Penguins, seals and albatross Rosmarin began traveling the world in 2022 after quitting his job as a media buyer.—
Corey Williams,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
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The benefits were found to be comparable to physical exercise and quitting smoking.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
13 May 2026
Verb
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What will the license plates fund After deducting administrative fees, proceeds from the Disney plates would go toward services provided by hospitals and clinics that are not covered by insurance or a patient.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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The remaining settlement fund after deducting those costs and expenses will then be split among recipients based on their individual amounts, according to the settlement website.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20off. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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