KNOCKS Synonyms: 332 Similar and Opposite Words

knocks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of knock

as in bumps

to come into usually forceful contact with something my knee knocked against the table leg when I tried to get up quickly

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hits

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner threatened to knock him upside the head if he didn't do as he was told

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as in blames

to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of hey, don't knock it until you've tried it

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knocks

2 of 2

noun

plural of knock

as in blows

a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument gave the door a good knock

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as in misfortunes

bad luck or an example of this getting his college degree was a six year adventure not without its share of knocks along the way

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as in setbacks

a change in status for the worse usually temporarily the geneticist's reputation took a knock when several of his peers were unable to confirm his research findings

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

status quos

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 knocks

Verb

Bowie is still the defending champion until someone knocks them off, and the Vols deserve respect for that. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026 If the party gets a little too wild, and someone knocks the jams into the drink, don't worry. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026 Sally knocks Ian out with a blunt object, and the sisters go roving through the overgrown woods separating them from Lockland Manor. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026 Up an elevator, down a staircase, through a restaurant, up another staircase, past a guard, part a curtain, pause, guard knocks on secret door, through secret door, into a library. — Jason Sheeler, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026 If there are problems there or a hurricane knocks some systems offline, prices will struggle to drop. — Jeffrey Collins, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026 When a headline knocks a stock down, the useful question is whether anything inside the business moved. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Brink is no stranger to the injury bug, as this is just the latest in a series of knocks the Sparks center has taken recently. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026 The denim collection from Levi’s always knocks it out of the park, and these baggy jeans are no exception. — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

Noun

Evidence of Dave Roberts’ growth One of the knocks on Dave Roberts has always been his poor postseason managing. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 Josh Bell continued a torrid August with three hits, Alan Roden bounced back from a tough game with three hits of his own, and Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee each finished with two knocks. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 But over the course of a 44-game regular season, a few knocks are unavoidable. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 Chicago got two more in the third on four hits and had three knocks that yielded a run in the fourth. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026 This buffering is especially useful when the unit is wall-mounted and exposed to occasional knocks or vibration. — New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2026 One runner was pierced by a horn in the face, while 12 more people needed medical treatment for an assortment of knocks, according to the University of Navarra Hospital. — ABC News, 11 July 2026 Bouts of illness and small knocks to players such as rookie Gabriela Jaquez have forced the Sky to sign emergency replacement players and lean heavily on development players such as Aicha Coulibaly, who already has used up half of her eligible games for the Sky. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026 But a leg injury in preseason and other knocks have kept him out of the lineup. — Michelle Kaufman may 12, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocks

Verb

Did join Kylian Mbappe and Ferenc Puskas as one of only three players to score a European Cup knockout-phase brace against Barcelona at Camp Nou, which bumps him up the list a bit.

— Tim Spiers, New York Times, 26 May 2026
The department bumps the call to a higher-priority response (Priority 1) due to the potential for violence.

— Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026

Definition of bumps

Verb

Mookie Betts hits three doubles and the Dodgers surge for 15 hits to overcome a shaky start by Tarik Skubal in a 10-4 win over the San Francisco Giants.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
When a big storm hits the northern Sierra, the Feather River’s runoff lands in Lake Oroville, behind the nation’s tallest dam, and the Yuba’s lands in New Bullards Bar.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of hits

Noun

Like his wife, Andrew was also attacked with a hatchet, receiving as many as 11 blows to his face, leaving him nearly unrecognizable, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

— Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Abby was struck 19 times by a hatchet-like object, with several blows crushing through her skull.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of blows

Noun

Poliński said Zosia would likely have been blamed for misfortunes such as disease and famine that often plagued the region in the 17th century, which people sometimes attributed to supernatural activity by the dead.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
But the fire this time was started by a son, which led to raging misfortunes that consumed his three brothers one by one, leaving only ashen memories for his surviving sister and aged parents to sift through.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of misfortunes

Noun

Levee setbacks, floodplain storage, land bought outright or under easement and returned to habitat are now formal categories of flood infrastructure.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Trump’s ban on the three news outlets came after a week of political setbacks.

— Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026