knocking
- 1The act of hitting a surface to make a sound, or the sound it makes.
Like the tap-tap sound you make when you want someone to open a door.
The knocking at the door woke everyone in the house.
A loud knocking came from somewhere inside the old pipes.
Similarrapping, tapping, banging, pounding, hammering
Note
- 2Present participle of knock. Use this form for something happening right now.
She is knocking on the front door right now.
The children kept knocking on every door in the street.
Note
- 3A repeated tapping or pinging sound from a car engine that is not burning its fuel smoothly.
Like the rattling noise a machine makes when something inside is not working right.
The engine knocking got worse as the car climbed the hill.
A faint knocking from under the hood worried the driver.
Similarpinking, pinging, detonation
Note
Showing meanings only.
knocking is a form of knock
knock, verb: To hit something, usually a door, with your knuckles to make a sound. Full entry
- Spelling
- knock → knocking: add -ing
Practice
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