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

For residents who didn’t respond to knocks on their doors, their bags were left for safekeeping with Mai Mei Su, the building’s residential manager. — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 Max knocks on the door, a strange formality for a man about to burn the boat down to the waterline. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026 The Petco cashier with the cat named Rebecca knocks on the hood of my car. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026 One of the marks of Charles is his ability to keep getting up when the world knocks him down. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026 Thekla then strikes Nightingale with the microphone and attempts to hit her with the championship belt, but Nightingale knocks her away. — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Those knocks, a masterful performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a late implosion set the Yankees up for an 8-2 loss in the first game of a split doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026 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

Noun

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 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

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

This hits me personally because my brother, Rescue 5 firefighter Allan Tarasiewicz, was killed that day saving people when the North Tower fell on him, all because of Bin Laden and money from Saudi Arabia.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
Skies are expected to remain partly sunny Thursday as the chance of precipitation hits and sticks around through the night, NWS states.

— Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of hits

Noun

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
Deer-Proof Your Garden To keep your flowers from being gobbled up by deer—one of the most heartbreaking of all garden misfortunes—choose flowers that people find glorious and deer find disgusting.

— Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026

Definition of misfortunes

Noun

But the party has recently suffered setbacks, losing a string of special elections, including one in June that brought now- Prime Minister Andy Burnham to power.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Outline measures to reduce impacts on neighboring property owners and communities, including noise mitigation, light controls, setbacks, traffic improvements, emergency response coordination and other community protection measures.

— Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of setbacks

Verb

Helmut Haller, West Germany vs England, 1966 Ray Wilson misjudges his headed clearance, Haller gathers it on the edge of the box and, just before Bobby Moore can close him down, slaps a right-footed shot into the far corner.

— Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
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