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to knock off

to knock off

12 4.3
Lower the price by a set amount
  • phrasal verb
  • /nɑk ɔf/
translation icon : rebajar
  • I'll knock 20% off that Trinitron for you.
  • knock off the price
  • knock off 20 percent
  • knock off a few dollars

Examples

  • If GM is willing to knock 5k off a slow seller, the government kicks in another 5k.

    Blog text (30)
  • For you, sir, I'll knock off $1,000.

  • ...and I will knock ten grand off the debt.

  • But after everything that went down today, how about I knock off 25 percent.

  • How much will you knock off?

    Blog text (14)
  • I'm gonna knock three grand off.

  • How about I knock $200 off the MSRP?

    Blog text (29)
  • Well, the sticker says 75, but l can knock 20 percent off if you pay cash.

  • Mr. Froggy Wineman has just knocked a million off our sale price.

  • The store was having a sale, so I asked if they could knock off $50 from the price of the jacket.

Synonyms

to discount
vsto knock off
36 1.7

To sell something at a lower price than usual

focuses on a specific amount reduction rather than general sale pricing
to shave
vsto knock off
18 3.9

Make a price or amount a little smaller

reduces price by a specific amount rather than only a small margin
to mark down
vsto knock off
6 2.5

To lower the price of something

reduces price typically by a specific stated amount

Antonyms

2.9

To make an amount, level, or value higher

How Much

to mark down
6 2.5
to discount
36 1.7
to knock off
12 4.3
to take off
217 3.1

Surface Forms

knock off infinitive
knocked off past participle
knocking off present participle
knocks off third person singular

Morphology

knock + off

The particle 'off' can signal cessation or removal, which gives a cue toward 'stop', but the verb 'knock' (to hit) does not independently convey stopping; the imperative use ('knock it off') is conversational and idiomatic. Because the meaning relies on a conventionalized phrasal-verb use rather than straightforward compositional semantics, a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would likely need prior exposure to fully understand it.

Etymology

Knock off may come from the picture of a seller literally knocking a little bit off a price tag, like removing a few coins from the total. That's why it means 'to reduce the price'.