knock

From Middle English knokken, from Old English cnocian, ġecnocian, cnucian (“to knock, pound on, beat”), from Proto-West Germanic *knokōn, from Proto-Germanic *knukōną (“to knock”), a suffixed form of *knu-, *kneu- (“to pound on, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *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, Swedish knocka (“to hug”)).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /nɒk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /nɑk/

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• Rhymes: -ɒk

knock (countable and uncountable, plural knocks)

1. An abrupt rapping sound, as from an impact of a hard object against wood.

   I heard a knock on my door.

2. A sharp impact.

   He took a knock on the head.

3. (figuratively) A criticism.
   • 2012, Tom Lamont, How Mumford & Sons became the biggest band in the world (in The Daily Telegraph, 15 November 2012)

     Since forming in 2007 Mumford & Sons have hard-toured their way to a vast market for throaty folk that's strong on banjo and bass drum. They have released two enormous albums. But, wow, do they take some knocks back home.

4. (figuratively) A blow or setback.
   • 1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:

     "Come on!" cried Mr. Beaver, who was almost dancing with delight. "Come and see! This is a nasty knock for the Witch! It looks as if her power was already crumbling."

5. (automotive, uncountable) Preignition, a type of abnormal combustion occurring in spark ignition engines caused by self-ignition; also, the characteristic knocking sound associated with it.
6. (cricket) A batsman's innings.

   He played a slow but sure knock of 35.

7. (cycling, uncountable) Synonym of hunger knock

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

1. (transitive, dated) To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door.
   • c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     Master, knock the door hard.

2. (transitive, colloquial) To criticize verbally; to denigrate; to undervalue.
   • 1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 386:

     “And what do you care when some folks start knocking you? It’s a sign you getting some place.”

   Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

3. (transitive, soccer) To kick a ball towards another player; to pass.
   • 2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 – 1 Birmingham”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Despite enjoying more than their fair share of possession the visitors did not look like creating anything, with their lack of a killer ball painfully obvious as they harmlessly knocked the ball around outside the home side's box without ever looking like they would hurt them.

4. (transitive, Britain, slang, dated) To impress forcibly or strongly; to astonish; to move to admiration or applause.
5. (transitive, intransitive, dated) To bump or impact.

   I knocked against the table and bruised my leg.

   I accidentally knocked my drink off the bar.

   • 1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, chapter 23, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M. Hill Co., →OCLC:

     "The Silver Shoes," said the Good Witch, "have wonderful powers. And one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to any place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made in the wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go."

6. (intransitive) To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.

   Knock on the door and find out if they’re home.

   • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress (The Noel Douglas Replicas), London: Noel Douglas, […], 1928, →OCLC, page 3:

     Then ſaid Evangeliſt, Keep that light in your eye, and go up directly thereto: ſo ſhalt thou ſee the Gate; at which, when thou knockeſt, it ſhall be told thee what thou ſhalt do.

knock

1. Alternative form of knaugh

• Kathleen A. Browne (1927) The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Sixth Series, Vol.17 No.2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, page 136