English Explanatory Dictionary

knock

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An abrupt rapping sound, as from an impact of a hard object against wood.
  2. A sharp impact.
  3. A criticism.
  4. A blow or setback.
  5. Preignition, a type of abnormal combustion occurring in spark ignition engines caused by self-ignition; also, the characteristic knocking sound associated with it.
  6. A batsman's innings.
  7. A ball hit into play, especially one that becomes a hit.
  8. Synonym of hunger knock.
verb
  1. To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.
  2. To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door.
  3. To criticize verbally; to denigrate; to undervalue.
  4. To kick a ball towards another player; to pass.
  5. To hit a ball into play.
  6. To impress forcibly or strongly; to astonish; to move to admiration or applause.
  7. To bump or impact.
  8. To have sex with.
  9. To prosecute under the law; to arrest, imprison, etc.
  10. To end play by declaring one's hand to have under a certain amount of deadwood.
name
  1. A suburb and ward in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
  2. A townland in Drumcliff civil parish, County Clare, Ireland.
  3. A town and civil parish of County Mayo, Ireland, location of the Knock Shrine.
  4. A settlement in Moray council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NJ5552).
  5. A village on the Isle of Lewis, Western Isles council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NB4931).
  6. A village in Long Marton parish, Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, previously in Eden district (OS grid ref NY6827).
  7. A surname.

Pronunciation

/nɒk/ /nɑk/ En-us-knock.ogg En-au-knock.ogg

Word forms

knock knocks knocking knocked

Etymology

From Middle English knokken, from Old English cnocian, ġecnocian, ġecnucian, cnucian (“to knock, pound on, beat”), from Proto-West Germanic *knokōn, from Proto-Germanic *knukōną (“to knock”), a suffixed form of *knu-, *knew- (“to pound on, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gnew-, *gen- (“to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate”). The English word is cognate with Middle High German knochen (“to hit”), Old English cnuian, cnuwian (“to pound, knock”), Old Norse knoka (compare Danish knuge (“to squeeze”), Swedish knocka (“to hug”)). More at knuckle.

Synonyms

hunger knock knock off Formal terms bed coit coitize dight enjoy feague go in unto go to bed with have know lie by lie with love mount occupy penetrate season seduce sleep with take Any of Thesaurus:copulate + "with" Informal and slang terms ball bang bauf beep be with bone boff boink bonk boom-boom dick diddle dig out do doink drill eff expletive deleted fill frack frak frick frig fuck get into someone's pants get over on get up in give someone one give someone the time go with have one's way with have one's wicked way with hit hump jape

Derived words

antiknock cop knock death knock diesel knock engine knock hard knock job and knock knock-about knock-back knockback knock box knock-for-knock agreement knock-knee knock knee knock-kneed knock-knock knock knock knock-knock burglary knock-knock ginger knock-knock joke knockmeter knockproof knock rummy knock shop knockstone nickety-knock no-knock postman's knock school of hard knocks spark knock doorknock come knocking don't knock it till you've tried it don't knock yourself out knick-knock knock about knock a buzzard off a gut wagon knock a buzzard off a shit wagon knock a dog off a gut wagon knock-and-announce knock and run knock around knock a skunk off a gut wagon knock at the door knock at the door of knock back knock boots knock dead knockdown knock down knock down a notch knock down a peg knock down ginger knock down to size knocked up knock-'em-downs knocker knockers knocker up knock for a loop
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