knock off

present singular third person knocks off · participle present knocking off · participle past knocked off · past knocked off

1. ditransitiveTo remove (something or someone) by applying a strong force.

   He was knocked off his bike.

   3 more examples

   The wave knocked me off my feet.

   It now appears that the locomotive did not blow up, as was commonly stated at the time, but that the aeroplane flew so low as to come into contact with the dome of the engine, knocking it off. It was the combination of the impact and the uprush of steam that so disturbed the equilibrium of the raider as to cause it to crash.

   1943 May and June, “Notes and News: Effective Locomotive "Ack-Ack" Fire”, in Railway Magazine, page 180

   The incident happened about 8 a.m. when the woman and two family members tried to ride across the bridge that was covered by fast-flowing water following a night of rain across the Tucson metro area. The Pima County Sheriff's Department said the woman was trapped underwater after being knocked off her bike.

   2026 August 14, “Cyclist rescued after being knocked into rushing water at Sabino Canyon”, in Arizona Daily Star

2. transitiveTo remove, as a discount or estimate.

   They agreed to knock off 20% of the price.

   Synonyms: deduct, take off, abate, bate, deduct, remove, subduct, subtract

3. transitiveTo make a copy of, as of a design.

   They send people to the shows in Milan for "ideas", which means knocking off the designs they guess would sell.

   1 more example

   Whipping up a healthy breakfast has never been easier. Neither has knocking off your fave Starbucks snack either, thanks to this TikTok-approved egg bite maker.

   2024 October 8, Lauren Gruber, Megan Uy, “We Found Sooo Many Viral TikTok Items on Sale for October Prime Day”, in Cosmopolitan

   Synonyms: plagiarize, rip off

4. transitiveTo assign (an item) to a bidder at an auction, indicated by knocking on the counter.
5. informaltransitiveTo accomplish hastily.

   I knocked off a couple of quick sketches before the design meeting.

   Synonyms: knock out

6. ambitransitiveslangTo halt one's work or other activity.

   I think I'll knock off for the evening and go to bed.

   2 more examples

   As a matter of fact, I'm only waiting for my mate to knock off for breakfast.

   1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries

   Remember that this news was brought by the last steamer. That explains the stoppage of all communication, and the arrival of no more ships. We knocked off work a few days ago, and we're just waiting to see when things are to start afresh.

   c. 1921 (date written), Karel Čapek, translated by Paul Selver, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots): A Fantastic Melodrama […], Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1923, →OCLC, Act 2

   Synonyms: call it a day, call it a night, down tools

7. slangtransitiveTo kill.

   The mobsters hired the guy to knock off their enemies.

   1 more example

   "The point is, Michael has tried to get some research going into a method of knocking off triffids scientifically. That has to be found if we are going to get anywhere at all."

   1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 258

   Synonyms: bump off, do away with, whack, annihilate, bag, baptize, bereave of life, blight

   1. broadlyslangtransitivehobbiesTo defeat.

      The Hammers knocked off Arsenal on the strength of a 78th-minute tally from Jarrod Bowen.

      Synonyms: bump off, do away with, whack, annihilate, bag, baptize, bereave of life, blight

8. slangtransitiveTo rob.

   They decided to knock off a liquor store downtown.

   Synonyms: mill, burgle, steal, abduct, abstract, appropriate, bag, bandit

9. UKslangtransitivevulgarTo have sex with (a woman).

   I took her down to Basin Street and to a movie, then took her to my room and knocked her off.

   1965, Claude Brown, Manchild in the Promised Land

   Synonyms: coitize, go to bed with, sleep with, Formal terms, bed, coit, coitize, dight

plural knock offs

1. nonstandardNonstandard form of knockoff.