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Glite Dictionary
to knock against

to knock against

3 2.7
Hit something by accident when you move and touch it
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : chocar contra
  • I fell backward and knocked my head against the sharp edge of a rising step.
  • knocked against the head
  • knocked against the wall
  • knocked against the knee

Examples

  • As we leave, I accidentally knock my leg against a chair.

    Academic text (2005)

  • I tried not to jump at the sound of branches knocking against the roof.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Something's knocking against the guest house.

    When the Bough Breaks (2016)

  • Mavis starts awake, knocking her head slightly against the side of the tub.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Now there seem to be two people knocking, banging their fists against the door.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The first slams Portman in the chest, knocking him against the wall.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "Where are my clothes?" she shouted, spinning around in the cramped space, knocking me against the wall.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The dancer stumbled, regained his balance, then stumbled again, knocking against the musician.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Aureole rolled her eyes and grinned, knocking her mug against Patricia's.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • As we leave, I accidentally knock against a chair with my leg.

Synonyms

to hit
vsto knock against
∞ 1.0

To strike someone or something with force

is typically accidental and focuses on collision rather than intent
to knock
vsto knock against
937 1.0

To hit something by accident with a sudden movement

is likewise accidental but emphasizes moderate collision force
to strike
vsto knock against
553 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

is mainly accidental and focuses on unplanned collision rather than intent
to bump
vsto knock against
111 1.0

To hit something by accident and cause a jolt

involves a stronger accidental impact rather than a simple jolt
to run into
vsto knock against
75 2.3

Hit something by accident while moving

is broader, covering accidental collisions not only during forward movement
to collide
vsto knock against
64 3.1

Crash into each other while moving

covers accidental impacts too but with usually less violent motion
to collide with
vsto knock against
38 3.7

Hit something or someone while moving, causing a sudden strong crash

is similar but often implies slightly less violent contact
to bump into
vsto knock against
18 2.1

To hit someone or something by accident while moving

is similar but stresses a deliberate sounding hit rather than mere jolt
to bonk
vsto knock against
  • Informal
5 7.6

To hit a person or thing lightly, often by accident

is more forceful and less playful than this light contact
to wallop
vsto knock against
  • Informal
2 7.3

To hit something or someone very hard

involves less extreme force, typically a strong accidental hit
to stumble against
vsto knock against
1 3.5

To trip and bump into something by accident

involves generally more forceful accidental contact than a trip
to butt against
vsto knock against
1 5.9

To hit something with strong force while moving

describes similar contact but usually with less violent force
to tonk
vsto knock against
9.9

To hit something lightly and make a soft sound

involves noticeably more force than this light, gentle contact

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

to miss
∞ 1.0

To fail to reach or hit something you aim for

How Hard

to crash
481 2.2
hit
459 1.0
to knock against
3 2.7
to bump into
18 2.1

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

knock + against

The meaning is directly compositional: 'knock' (to hit or bump) combined with the spatial sense of 'against' (in contact with) yields the predictable meaning 'to hit or collide with something'. This verb+preposition pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning (noting that 'against' also has an adversarial sense in other contexts).

Etymology

Knock against comes from a simple image: the parts knock and against show one thing hitting another, like a cup that slides and knocks against a table. So, it means 'to hit or collide with something by accident'.