knock

From Middle English knocken, knokken, from Old English cnocian, ġecnocian, cnucian (“to knock, pound on, beat”), 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”). Akin to Old Norse knoka (compare Swedish knocka, Danish knuge, to hug) and Middle High German knochen (“to hit”). Compare also Old English cnuian, cnuwian (“to pound, knock”).

• (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) 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. (cricket) A batsman's innings.

   He played a slow but sure knock of 35.

5. (automotive) Preignition, a type of abnormal combustion occurring in spark ignition engines caused by self-ignition or the characteristic knocking sound associated with it.
6. (cycling) Synonym of hunger knock

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

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

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

2. (transitive, dated) To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door.
   • Shakespeare

     Master, knock the door hard.

3. (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, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Chapter 23

     "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."

4. (colloquial) To denigrate; undervalue; criticize verbally.

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

5. (soccer) To pass, kick a ball towards another player.
   • 2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham”, in BBC‎:

     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.

6. (slang, dated, Britain) To impress strongly or forcibly; to astonish; to move to admiration or applause.

• knock someone's block off
• knock someone's socks off