# knock

Pronunciation: say "NOK" US /nɑk/, UK /nɒk/

## Verb

1. To rap with the knuckles, especially on wood, to attract attention or seek entry.
   - Simple: To hit something, usually a door, with your knuckles to make a sound.
   - _Visitors must knock loudly because the doorbell is broken._
   - _He knocked twice and then let himself in._
4. To criticize, belittle, or undervalue someone or something. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To say bad things about someone or something.
   - _People knock fast food, but it serves a real purpose for busy families._
   - _Reviewers knocked the album for repeating old ideas._
8. To have sexual intercourse with someone. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To have sex with someone.
   - _He boasted that he could knock any woman he wanted._
   - _Word spread that he had knocked the landlord's daughter._
10. To strike a ball into play.
   - Simple: To hit a ball so it goes into play.
   - _The opener knocked the ball into the gap for a quick single._
   - _Batters who knock the ball straight to fielders rarely score._
15. To kick a ball toward a teammate; to pass.
   - Simple: To kick a ball to another player on your team.
   - _Midfielders knock the ball around to keep possession._
   - _She knocked a neat pass into the channel._
16. To prosecute, arrest, or imprison someone under the law. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To arrest someone and take them to court.
   - _Customs will knock anyone caught smuggling goods across the border._
   - _The agency knocked three executives for insider trading._
18. In rummy, to end play by declaring that one's hand holds less than the allowed amount of deadwood.
   - Simple: In the card game rummy, to end the round by showing you have very few unmatched cards.
   - _Players may knock as soon as their deadwood drops below the limit._
   - _She knocked with only three points left in her hand._

## Noun

2. An abrupt rapping sound, such as a hard object striking wood.
   - Simple: A sudden tapping sound, like something hard hitting wood.
   - _A sharp knock interrupted the meeting._
   - _The hollow knock of wood on wood echoed through the hall._
3. A sharp blow or impact.
   - Simple: A hard hit or bump against something.
   - _She gave the door frame a knock as she carried the boxes through._
   - _A solid knock against the rock cracked the kayak's hull._
5. A criticism leveled against someone or something. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A negative comment about someone or something.
   - _The main knock on the new phone is its short battery life._
   - _Fair or not, the knock against the team is their weak defense._
6. A blow or setback, especially one that hampers progress. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A bad event that hurts your plans or progress.
   - _The company's reputation took a serious knock after the recall._
   - _Each rejection was a knock, but he refused to give up._
7. Abnormal combustion in a spark-ignition engine caused by premature self-ignition of the fuel, and the characteristic rapping sound it produces.
   - Simple: A banging or rattling sound an engine makes when its fuel burns at the wrong time.
   - _Mechanics traced the persistent knock to low-octane fuel._
   - _Engine knock can damage pistons over time._
9. A ball struck into play, especially one that results in a hit.
   - Simple: A ball that a batter hits into play, especially one that turns into a hit.
   - _A crisp knock down the line brought two runners home._
   - _The captain praised the knock that turned the game._
14. A batter's innings in cricket; the period a player spends batting. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In cricket, the time one player spends batting before getting out.
   - _His patient knock anchored the innings through a difficult morning._
   - _She brought up her century with a fluent knock._
17. In cycling, sudden debilitating fatigue caused by depletion of the body's energy stores.
   - Simple: In cycling, a sudden loss of energy from running out of fuel.
   - _She felt the knock coming and quickly ate an energy gel._
   - _The knock struck him hard on the final climb._

## Verb

11. To bump against or strike something. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To bump into or hit something.
   - _Be careful not to knock the glasses while you reach across the table._
   - _She knocked her head on the low doorway._
12. To rap upon a door in order to be let in. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To hit a door with your hand so someone will let you in.
   - _She knocked the door sharply, hoping someone was still awake._
   - _Travelers would knock the inn door long after midnight._
13. To impress someone forcibly; to astonish or move them to admiration. *(dated, British)*
   - Simple: To impress someone so much that they are amazed.
   - _A turn like hers can knock even jaded critics._
   - _His closing number knocked the packed house._

## Origin

From Middle English knokken, from Old English cnocian ("to knock, pound on, beat"), from Proto-West Germanic *knokōn and Proto-Germanic *knukōną. This traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to squeeze, pinch, or pound," and the word is cognate with Middle High German knochen ("to hit") and Old Norse knoka.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/knock (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).