1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the door a good knock
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of knocks
Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Temperatures will be near 81 degrees on Monday, and then turn cooler on Tuesday through Thursday after a cold front knocks them back into the mid- to upper 60s.
—Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes knocks the flavor profile out of the park.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
At that house, no one answered a Statesman reporter’s knocks on Monday, but Davidson told the Statesman that his family owns the whole lot.
—Idaho Statesman, 28 Apr. 2026
For one thing, precedent says that Waddle’s production this fall should, health permitting (knocks on wood), just about double whatever numbers Cooper puts out as a rookie for the J-E-T-S in 2026.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
The female actually knocks him down to the ground.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
Unfortunately, Lace delivers a kick that knocks Jinx on his back, inflaming an old injury.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
Surrounded by a strong ensemble under the direction of Georgette Verdin, Nozicka frankly knocks this thorny role out of the park.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
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
There really aren’t many knocks against Ponds … other than his size.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 25 Apr. 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
Many owners told Bridge they were approached by knocks on the door and verbal offers.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Management staff opened the apartment door after police received no response to their knocks.
—Brian Smith, Des Moines Register, 25 Mar. 2026
The Spartans chased Luke Harrison in the fourth with a solo home run, then two more knocks that sent Jim Schlossnagle to the mound to take the ball.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
He wasn’t invited to the combine this winter and drew knocks from some evaluators for his lack of length and his inconsistency as a pass rusher.
—Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Temperatures will be near 81 degrees on Monday, and then turn cooler on Tuesday through Thursday after a cold front knocks them back into the mid- to upper 60s.
—Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes knocks the flavor profile out of the park.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
At that house, no one answered a Statesman reporter’s knocks on Monday, but Davidson told the Statesman that his family owns the whole lot.
—Idaho Statesman, 28 Apr. 2026
For one thing, precedent says that Waddle’s production this fall should, health permitting (knocks on wood), just about double whatever numbers Cooper puts out as a rookie for the J-E-T-S in 2026.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
The female actually knocks him down to the ground.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
Unfortunately, Lace delivers a kick that knocks Jinx on his back, inflaming an old injury.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
Surrounded by a strong ensemble under the direction of Georgette Verdin, Nozicka frankly knocks this thorny role out of the park.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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
There really aren’t many knocks against Ponds … other than his size.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 25 Apr. 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
Many owners told Bridge they were approached by knocks on the door and verbal offers.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Management staff opened the apartment door after police received no response to their knocks.
—Brian Smith, Des Moines Register, 25 Mar. 2026
The Spartans chased Luke Harrison in the fourth with a solo home run, then two more knocks that sent Jim Schlossnagle to the mound to take the ball.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocks
Verb
-
The 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX will start at $99,995, excluding a mandatory $2,595 destination fee that bumps the price to $102,590.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
1 Jan. 2026
-
A day when the Stanley Cup years finally ride the synaptic road back to long-term memory and the brain finally bumps the past for the present.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When a heat wave hits, millions of air conditioners switch on at once, straining the electric grid and driving up the risk of outages — and residents’ power bills.—
Kiki Sideris,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
Zesica Flutter-sleeve Smocked Midi Dress Flattering and versatile, this dress hits the sweet spot between refined and playful.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Now, Wollner is back with Everytime, which sees a tragic death bring a mother, her daughter, and a teenage boy, who everyone blames for the tragedy, together.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
Letter writer blames sister-in-law for brother’s non-Jewish funeral plans.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
This incident also led to Eckert and Hellberg nearly coming to blows before being separated by the fourth official.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange blows, mainly in southern Lebanon, since a nominal ceasefire took hold last month.—
Compiled byDemocrat-Gazette stafffrom wire reports,
Arkansas Online,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The Philadelphia singer-songwriter seeks out the mystical potential of quotidian misfortunes in a set of psychedelic-of-center bedroom pop songs.—
Lily Goldberg,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
-
But a staggering series of misfortunes – an arsonist destroyed her rental house; the private equity firm that owned the house still demanded two months’ rent and kept her security deposit; she was diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer – forced her into tenuous housing situations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Markets have soared and oil prices have dropped over the last week, however, amid anticipation that a deal could be close after weeks of talks and occasional setbacks.—
Peter Nicholas,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
-
Following the local election setbacks, the Prime Minister has faced calls to resign or to set a timetable to vacate his leadership position, including from members of his own Labour Party.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Now, however, the team behind the new research believes the events are caused when a compact stellar remnant, like a black hole or a neutron star, slams into the universe's hottest class of star, massive stellar bodies called Wolf-Rayet stars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
In other words, automatic registration slams the courthouse door on women, but not on men, because registration is its own injury.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anderson slaps his hit down the right field line, just fair.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
At the end of the night, during the bows, Butler slaps the guys playing her two antagonists gently on their butts, a gesture that would have jarred in most stagings but fully in keeping with the inclusive, humanistic vibe of this production.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocks. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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