to knock
- verb
- /nɑk/
- Aunt Josie lived alone and was awakened one night by a knocking at her door.
- knock on a door
- come knocking
- start knocking
And I would have to go knock and go see these people early on.
- And I would have to go knock and go see these people early on.
- I've met virtually they all just knock on your door unannounced.
- It was like you saying, could I knock on a door?
- So as we're in there, right, I heard knock, knock, knock, right the door opens.
- What does it say about you that you're willing knock, knock, knock to go do this?
- I can't, you know, knock on wood trying to get more.
Examples
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Those guys felt that when Andy knocked on their door.
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He always came back knocking at our door and someone had to pay.
-
And I would have to go knock and go see these people early on.
-
Hey, knock it off, will you?
-
And one night he knocked on my door outdoor.
-
"I probably should have knocked on more doors and had more conversations with people," he says.
Academic text (2017) -
But today you don't have to knock on their door, you can just slip in.
-
It's so simple to just look at who's knocking at your door as a sign.
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I stepped onto its creaking porch and knocked on a crude screen door.
Fiction book (1990) -
I heard a knock on the front door, so I went to see who it was.
Synonyms
To hit or close something suddenly and loudly
To touch or hit something lightly to get attention
To hit a door with your hand to get people inside to notice
To hit something quickly to make a short sharp sound
To hit something hard so it moves or gets damaged
To give a short, light knock on something
To hit something lightly and make a soft sound
To hit something quickly with a short, sharp blow
Idioms
- Informal
To defeat the person or team at the top and take their place
- Offensive
To hit someone very hard or to shock someone very much
Phrasal Verbs
- Offensive
To make someone start thinking and behaving reasonably, often by scolding or force
- UK
To make something quickly and simply from things you have, like a shelter or meal
Compounds
- Jargon
The illegal action of hitting the ball forward with the hand or arm while trying to catch it
- Jargon
A rummy game where a player ends a round if unmatched cards total less than ten points
How Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Knock (to strike a surface for attention) comes from the same imitation of sound — think 'knock, knock' at a door. Because the word names that sharp sound, it naturally means to hit something to get someone's attention.