Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Knock?

\Knock\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Knocked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Knocking}.] [OE. knoken, AS. cnocian, cnucian; prob. of imitative origin; cf. Sw. knacka.Cf. {Knack}.] 1. To drive or be driven against something; to strike against something; to clash; as, one heavy body knocks against another. --Bacon. 2. To strike or beat with something hard or heavy; to rap; as, to knock with a club; to knock on the door. For harbor at a thousand doors they knocked. --Dryden. Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. --Matt. vii. 7. {To knock about}, to go about, taking knocks or rough usage; to wander about; to saunter. [Colloq.] ``Knocking about town.'' --W. Irving. {To knock up}, to fail of strength; to become wearied or worn out, as with labor; to give out. ``The horses were beginning to knock up under the fatigue of such severe service.'' --De Quincey. {To knock off}, to cease, as from work; to desist. {To knock under}, to yield; to submit; to acknowledge one's self conquered; -- an expression probably borrowed from the practice of knocking under the table with the knuckles, when conquered. ``Colonel Esmond knocked under to his fate.'' --Thackeray.
\Knock\ (n[o^]k), v. t. 1. To strike with something hard or heavy; to move by striking; to drive (a thing) against something; as, to knock a ball with a bat; to knock the head against a post; to knock a lamp off the table. When heroes knock their knotty heads together. --Rowe. 2. To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door. Master, knock the door hard. --Shak. {To knock down}. (a) To strike down; to fell; to prostrate by a blow or by blows; as, to knock down an assailant. (b) To assign to a bidder at an auction, by a blow or knock; to knock off. {To knock in the head}, or {on the head}, to stun or kill by a blow upon the head; hence, to put am end to; to defeat, as a scheme or project; to frustrate; to quash. [Colloq.] -- {To knock off}. (a) To force off by a blow or by beating. (b) To assign to a bidder at an auction, by a blow on the counter. (c) To leave off (work, etc.). [Colloq.] -- {To knock out}, to force out by a blow or by blows; as, to knock out the brains. {To knock up}. (a) To arouse by knocking. (b) To beat or tire out; to fatigue till unable to do more; as, the men were entirely knocked up. [Colloq.] ``The day being exceedingly hot, the want of food had knocked up my followers.'' --Petherick. (c) (Bookbinding) To make even at the edges, or to shape into book form, as printed sheets.
\Knock\, n. 1. A blow; a stroke with something hard or heavy; a jar. 2. A stroke, as on a door for admittance; a rap. `` A knock at the door.'' --Longfellow. A loud cry or some great knock. --Holland. {Knock off}, a device in a knitting machine to remove loops from the needles.
\Knock\, v. i. To practice evil speaking or fault-finding; to criticize habitually or captiously. [Vulgar Slang, U. S.]
\Knock\, v. t. To impress strongly or forcibly; to astonish; to move to admiration or applause. [Slang, Eng.]