knock under

verb

To acknowledge oneself conquered; to submit, to yield.

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Meanings

verbknock under (third-person singular simple present knocks under, present participle knocking under, simple past and past participle knocked under)

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

  1. datedintransitiveTo acknowledge oneself conquered; to submit, to yield.

    I pull the second best trigger in this county. I knock under to Natty Bumppo there, sin' he shot the pigeon.

    1823, [James Fenimore Cooper], chapter XIV, in The Pioneers, or The Sources of the Susquehanna; […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: Charles Wiley; […], →OCLC, page 209
    1 more example

    When he heard this news of Beatrix's engagement, Colonel Eſmond knocked under to his fate, and reſolved to ſurrender his ſword, that could win him nothing now he cared for; […]

    1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, “I Come to an End of My Battles and Bruises”, in The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. […] , volume III, London: […] Smith, Elder, & Company, […], →OCLC, page 4
  2. datedintransitiveslangTo die.

Origin

Perhaps from the old practice of knocking under the table with the knuckles, when conquered. Compare knuckle under

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

knock under. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knock%20under

MLA

“knock under.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knock%20under. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knock under,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knock%20under.

Source: knock under on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.