knocking off

present participle of knock off
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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking off
Verb
  • Seeing a film at the Odeon cinema followed by stopping at Luini for a panzerotto, a cousin of the calzone, was long a favorite Milanese ritual.
    — Emma Bocchi, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Marshall improved to 5-0 with a 28-27 win over Marquez, stopping a two-point conversion try in the final minute.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Detroit man then allegedly tried to flee the scene in a vehicle before abandoning it and fleeing on foot, prosecutors say.
    — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • College football has gone national, abandoning regional affinities and local rivalries.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Because time is finite, adding one thing means subtracting another.
    — Melody Wilding, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Back in the early spring, the idea of subtracting a durable 33-game starter (and a former second-round pick) from a defensive line that seemed to be an area of major concern for the Bears would have been unthinkable.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Three armed men went on a stickup spree in Central Park Thursday night, robbing six people of their cell phones at gunpoint in four separate muggings, cops said.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • They are finally revealed as the head-lamps of a gang of thieves, robbing a church, caught closer up, their faces occasionally emerging from the gloom.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Her name was Jessie King, and she was found guilty of murdering three children in 1889.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • In the 1980s and early 1990s, statistically rare instances of strangers abducting white children from public spaces and murdering them became highly publicized.
    — Daniel LaChance, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The final opportunity came as time expired, when Kohl launched a Hail Mary that sailed through the back of the end zone, officially ending FIU’s comeback attempt.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
  • After that, the Rangers finish with three games at home against the New York Mets before a season-ending three-game series at the Minnesota Twins.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Combining medication with behavioral counseling increases the chance of successfully quitting.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The data demonstrates that anxious workforces tend to overcompensate with high performance before quitting, rebelling or failing.
    — Stacey Zolt Hara, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • That’s after excluding wealth from the top 1% of households, subtracting debts and other liabilities, and deducting retirement spending, charitable donations, taxes, and fees.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • AskAnyModel also supports unlimited image generation across compatible models without deducting premium credits.
    — StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Knocking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20off. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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