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Glite Dictionary
to knock it off

to knock it off

321 8.1
Tell someone to stop doing something annoying
  • phrasal verb
  • /nɑk ɪt ɔf/
  • Informal
translation icon : dejar de
  • Can you please knock it off with the loud music? I'm trying to concentrate.
  • say knock it off

If you've over applied your powder, knock it off, who cares?

Examples

Synonyms

to shut up
vsto knock it off
  • Offensive
∞ 4.1

Tell someone to be quiet in a rude or angry way

is broader, covering any annoying action not only speaking
to get off
vsto knock it off
213 1.6

To leave a vehicle, for example a bus, or stop annoying someone

focuses more on telling someone to stop actions that annoy others
to lay off
vsto knock it off
  • Informal
102 3.4

Stop doing something that annoys someone

is a direct informal command aimed at stopping disruptive behaviour
to put a sock in it
vsto knock it off
  • UK
9 9.1

Tell someone to be quiet

is a blunt informal order used to stop various annoying behaviours
to knock off
vsto knock it off
  • Informal
4 7.4

Stop doing something, often when it is annoying

is the informal command used to stop annoying or disruptive behaviour
to hush up
vsto knock it off
  • Informal
2 5.0

Make someone stop talking and be quiet

focuses more on telling someone to stop annoying behaviour overall rather than only silence
to get out of someone's hair
vsto knock it off
  • Informal
1 6.3

To stop bothering someone so they can work or think

is used to tell someone to cease annoying behaviour rather than leave physically
to shut one's gob
vsto knock it off
  • UK
9.9

To tell someone rudely to be quiet

is similar but applies to stopping any annoying or disruptive action
to belt up
vsto knock it off
  • Offensive
9.2

To tell someone to stop talking and be quiet

is used more generally to stop annoying acts beyond speech

Antonyms

to continue
∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

to keep going
357 1.6

To continue doing something without stopping

How Forceful

to desist
  • Formal
30 5.6
to knock it off
  • Informal
321 8.1
to give it a rest
  • Informal
48 6.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

knock + it + off

The imperative 'knock it off' is a colloquial phrasal-verb meaning 'stop that' that cannot be straightforwardly derived from literal senses of 'knock' (strike) + 'it' + 'off' by a B1 learner. There is a partial clue because the particle 'off' can signal cessation in some constructions, but the specific conversational use as an admonition is idiomatic and variable across contexts, so prior exposure is usually needed.

Etymology

Knock it off may come from a simple scene: someone keeps knocking on a table and another person says knock it off, with the parts knock and off meaning to stop the knocking. That picture of stopping a noisy action made the phrase a general way to tell someone to 'stop doing something annoying'.