1
as in stopping
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
knock it off!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abandoning
to stop doing (something) permanently
decided it was time to knock off telling fantastic fibs about her family background
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in subtracting
to take away (an amount or number) from a total
a proposal to knock 10 cents off the gasoline tax
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in robbing
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
Bonnie and Clyde coped with the Great Depression by knocking off banks
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in murdering
to put to death deliberately
various assassins have tried to knock off the dictator over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knocking off
Louisville made its season debut in the rankings after knocking off Miami.
—
Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The Nuggets looked entirely lost during their 2024 exhibition slate, then came as close as anyone to knocking off Oklahoma City in the 2025 playoffs.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 14 Oct. 2025
But New York’s play has been lethargic since nearly knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
The Broncos will be looking to string together their third straight win after knocking off the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia in back-to-back weeks.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Four top-10 teams lost this week, with Oregon beating Penn State 30-24 in double overtime, Ole Miss knocking off LSU 24-19 and Alabama winning 24-21 against Georgia on Saturday in addition to Florida State’s Friday loss.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
The Yankees beat the Orioles 3-2 in their regular season finale to finish 94-68, but the Blue Jays won their final game as well, knocking off the Rays 13-4 to clinch the franchise’s first AL East championship since 2015.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Tom Pelphrey stars as one of the home invaders who is knocking off a biker gang’s stash houses.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
That is a big deal, both in terms of him knocking off the rust of reading a defense in real time and rekindling the chemistry with his offense.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The Nuggets looked entirely lost during their 2024 exhibition slate, then came as close as anyone to knocking off Oklahoma City in the 2025 playoffs.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 14 Oct. 2025
But New York’s play has been lethargic since nearly knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
The Broncos will be looking to string together their third straight win after knocking off the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia in back-to-back weeks.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Four top-10 teams lost this week, with Oregon beating Penn State 30-24 in double overtime, Ole Miss knocking off LSU 24-19 and Alabama winning 24-21 against Georgia on Saturday in addition to Florida State’s Friday loss.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
The Yankees beat the Orioles 3-2 in their regular season finale to finish 94-68, but the Blue Jays won their final game as well, knocking off the Rays 13-4 to clinch the franchise’s first AL East championship since 2015.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Tom Pelphrey stars as one of the home invaders who is knocking off a biker gang’s stash houses.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
That is a big deal, both in terms of him knocking off the rust of reading a defense in real time and rekindling the chemistry with his offense.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking off
Verb
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Sabatini said that former President Ronald Reagan's doctrine included intervening on behalf of and supporting military governments with the intention of stopping the spread of communism.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Sabres goalie Alex Lyon had about as much chance of stopping the shot as an extra-large pepperoni and bacon stood of surviving a Friday night in the Kloke household.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In fact, 50% of organizations who expected to significantly reduce their customer service workforce by 2027, are now abandoning these plans, according to Gartner, Inc.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
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In September, she was indicted on charges of abandoning a child without intent to return, leaving a child without proper care and two counts of injury to a child, according to court documents.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The leap from knots to links is a relatively small one, but mathematicians can extend the ideas of knot theory to study mind-bending concepts such as higher-dimensional knots, surfaces with knotted edges and difficult-to-imagine objects obtained by subtracting a knot from three-dimensional space.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
3 Oct. 2025
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Business inventories also shrank, subtracting over three percentage points from GDP.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But what the Mets really specialized in was stealing, robbing banks, selling drugs, planting evidence, doing Mob hits and selling civil-service exams, among other rackets.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
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That said, his highlight reel plays in 2025 included robbing at least four home runs.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The man accused of murdering Iryna Zarutska faces federal charges that could result in the death penalty, according to new reports.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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Fairley was accused in 2018 of murdering a man in witness protection.—
Dana O'Neil,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The game marked the NBA’s formal return to NBC, ending a hiatus of 8,532 days since the last time an American pro basketball game that counts was broadcast on the network.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
22 Oct. 2025
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The partnership with Sephora marked Rhode’s first foray into retail, with net sales topping $212 million in the 12 months ending March 31.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But, as revealed on the podcast, Grande recently considered quitting music.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
24 Oct. 2025
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When infertility came for me, my response was to pursue pregnancy with an ever-narrowing focus, incrementally eliminating everything else in my life—quitting my job, slinking away from friendships, disappearing from the wider world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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You are entitled to a refund of the security deposit or any balance left after deducting legitimate charges, according to Legal Aid of North Carolina.—
Kendrick Marshall,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Oct. 2025
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The review added that the ongoing bit about the deducting from a charitable donation for longer speech set a negative tone.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knocking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20off. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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