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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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

My parents tell stories about me sleeping through loud construction, alarms, and heavy knocks on my bedroom door. — Better Homes & Gardens, 5 July 2026 Palestra instead knocks it past him with his right foot with great balance in a tight space. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 27 June 2026 From conveyor belts and baggage carts to overhead bins and taxi trunks, luggage is constantly subjected to bumps, knocks and rough handling. — New Atlas, 22 June 2026 This knocks Europe out in a single shot. — Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 The two butt heads and Woody knocks Buzz out of a window, turning the other toys against the vintage cowboy. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 19 June 2026 Enough sunshine on Sunday should push temperatures back into the low 90s before a cooler breeze knocks us back to normal on Monday. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 4 June 2026 And that's when a shot blasts through the door and knocks Lena to the ground. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026 Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page. — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026

Noun

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 One runner was pierced by a horn in the face, and 12 other people needed medical treatment for an assortment of knocks, according to the University of Navarra Hospital. — Los Angeles Times, 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 Trusty, after all, has also felt the knocks professional sport can deliver. — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 16 May 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 The four hits the Tigers managed against Gray proved their only knocks of the night. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026 The exterior Forged from anodized aluminum, this is Carl Friedrik's most hard-wearing cabin case yet, with new steel rivets adding extra protection against knocks and bumps to complement the robust aluminum frame. — Charley Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026 Four Royals singled in succession — led by Collins and Kyle Isbel’s run-producing knocks. — Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 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

British maritime officials report drone and projectile strikes as Qatar blames Iran, while dueling warnings over shipping routes complicate fragile talks to reopen the strait and end the conflict.

— Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Maisel blames the short length of time between the unveiling of the initiative and President Biden leaving office - and fierce opposition from affected industries.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 7 July 2026

Definition of blames

Noun

Holloway, even a Holloway who is nearing the end of his career with a somewhat suspect chin and ability to absorb heavy blows, wins this fight more times than not.

— Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Rolling with the punches, though, is harder when the blows keep landing on the starting rotation.

— Jesús Cano, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of blows

Noun

Jessie blames technology for toy misfortunes, getting angry at all forms of technology, even those already discarded.

— Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
Repairing Furniture There are few misfortunes greater than scratching a new piece of dark wood furniture.

— Joey Skladany, Southern Living, 17 June 2026

Definition of misfortunes

Noun

Shein will publicly list in Hong Kong after finally receiving Beijing’s approval, deepening its Chinese roots following global setbacks.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 14 July 2026
Trump’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has also been met with a series of setbacks.

— Tiago Ventura, Time, 14 July 2026

Definition of setbacks

Verb

Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
That direct relationship is what separates a true farm to table operation from a restaurant that simply slaps the phrase on a marketing page.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026