Dictionary

knock off en · NOUN

Pronunciation

(Australia) audio

Etymology

In the verb sense of stopping work, said to be from the practice aboard slave galleys to have a man beat time for the rowers by knocking on a block or drum; when he stopped, the rowers could rest.

Meanings

(alt-of, nonstandard) Nonstandard form of knockoff.
alt of knockoff

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
knock offs	Number=Plur		lexicographic

knock off en · VERB

Pronunciation

(Australia) audio

Etymology

In the verb sense of stopping work, said to be from the practice aboard slave galleys to have a man beat time for the rowers by knocking on a block or drum; when he stopped, the rowers could rest.

Meanings

(ditransitive) To remove (something or someone) by applying a strong force.
- 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:
- He was knocked off his bike.
- 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:
- The wave knocked me off my feet.
(transitive) To remove, as a discount or estimate.
- They agreed to knock off 20% of the price.
(transitive) To make a copy of, as of a design.
- 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:
- They send people to the shows in Milan for "ideas", which means knocking off the designs they guess would sell.
(transitive) To assign (an item) to a bidder at an auction, indicated by knocking on the counter.
(informal, transitive) To accomplish hastily.
- I knocked off a couple of quick sketches before the design meeting.
(ambitransitive, slang) To halt one's work or other activity.
- I think I'll knock off for the evening and go to bed.
- 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:
- 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:
(slang, transitive) To kill.
- "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:
- The mobsters hired the guy to knock off their enemies.
(broadly, slang, transitive) To kill. ▸ To defeat.
- The Hammers knocked off Arsenal on the strength of a 78th-minute tally from Jarrod Bowen.
(slang, transitive) To rob.
- They decided to knock off a liquor store downtown.
(UK, slang, transitive, vulgar) To 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:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Source
knocks off	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres	lexicographic
knocked off	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
knocked off	Tense=Past	lexicographic
knocking off	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic

Translations (24)

ru столкну́ть (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · sk zraziť (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · nmn qái (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · hu összedob (to accomplish hastily) · ru ста́лкивать (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · hu kinyír ((slang) kill) · hu kirabol ((slang) to rob) · hu enged (to remove, as a discount or estimate) · hu megfúj ((slang) to rob) · hu abbahagy (to halt one's work or other activity) · gd sguir de (to halt one's work or other activity) · hu lemásol (to make a copy of, as of a design) · uk зби́ти (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · ru сбива́ть (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · hu összecsap (to accomplish hastily) · hu lezavar (to accomplish hastily) · pt derrubar (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · fr dételer (to halt one's work or other activity) · hu lever (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · hu lekoppint (to make a copy of, as of a design) · ru сбить (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · uk збива́ти (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off) · ca plegar (to halt one's work or other activity) · eo faligi (to remove by hitting, to hit (something) off)

knock off en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

knock off en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Deriveds

Descendants

Relateds

Synonyms

Translations (24)