to knock
- verb
- /nɑk/
- Informal
- You want to knock him off, don't you?
And again, I'm not knocking proxy testing.
- And again, I'm not knocking proxy testing.
- And it's no way of me to knock myself down at all.
- And I love the don't knock it till you try it quick there.
Examples
-
Smart screenwriters take the familiar and knock it off balance just a bit.
Academic text (2008) -
Too many things can happen at this stage to knock the process off course.
Academic text (1991) -
And I'll tell you what, people again who knock them are jealous of them.
-
So, knock it off.
-
If you don't tell them to knock it off, I'll flood the containment area.
-
Kael's criticism always challenges the filmmaker: Astonish me; knock me out; but also tickle me.
Academic text (2011) -
Don't knock it until you have tried it; you might really enjoy it.
-
When people knock the band, they often haven't listened to their music.
-
She was quick to knock the proposal before fully understanding it.
Synonyms
To say what is wrong with someone or something
To find faults in ideas or work by pointing out small problems
To make quick, unfair critical remarks about someone or their ideas
Keep finding small faults in someone or their ideas
Make someone feel less proud by criticizing or embarrassing them
Attack someone with strong words in public
To tell someone they are wrong in a mild, formal way
Antonyms
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 Critical
- Offensive
- Informal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Knock (to criticize) grew from the idea of 'hitting' something with words — a helpful way to remember it is to think of a verbal 'hit' that brings something down. So to 'knock' an idea is to find fault with it.