knockdown

1 of 3

adjective

knock·​down ˈnäk-ˌdau̇n 

1

: having such force as to strike down or overwhelm

a bewildering assortment of knockdown arguments

—J. W. Krutch

2

: that can easily be assembled or disassembled

a knockdown table

3

chiefly British : extremely low : reduced

knockdown prices

knockdown

2 of 3

noun

1

: the action of knocking down

2

: something (such as a blow) that strikes down or overwhelms

3

: something (such as a piece of furniture) that can be easily assembled or disassembled

knock down

3 of 3

verb

ˈnäk-ˈdau̇n 

knocked down; knocking down; knocks down

transitive verb

1

: to strike to the ground with or as if with a sharp blow : fell

2

: to dispose of (an item) to a bidder at an auction sale

3

: to take apart : disassemble

4

: to receive as income or salary : earn

positions where they were able to knock down good money

—Infantry Journal

5

: reduce

knocked the price down

6

basketball, informal : to succeed in making (a jump shot or foul shot)

She scored 10 points on the night with three assists. She also knocked down three out of four free-throw attempts.

—Niki Herbert

Pierce faked right, drove left, turned and knocked down a fadeaway jumper.

—Jason Mastrodonato

Synonyms

Verb

• acquire
• attain
• bag
• bring in
• capture
• carry
• come by
• draw
• earn
• gain
• garner
• get
• land
• make
• obtain
• procure
• pull down
• realize
• reap
• secure
• win

Examples of knockdown in a Sentence

Adjective

Now's your chance to buy these items at knockdown prices!

Verb

she's knocking down a good salary, but she has to work very hard

right after the holidays the stores start to knock down the window displays

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Suns need another knockdown shooter and could use a versatile four. —Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 8 Feb. 2023

That competitive mariachi exists is a knockdown effect of this. —Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023

Noun

Then, with time ticking down, referee Mark Nelson signaled an official knockdown. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

Puni also had a knockdown block deep down the field against safety George Odum on an outside run by Christian McCaffrey to open the 11-on-11 period. —Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 31 July 2024

Verb

The fires were knocked down by 4:35 p.m., the fire department said in a follow-up post. —Jason Green, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024

Banis told Newsweek she's tried previously putting up barricades, which allowed Dotty to still stay upstairs with her, but they quickly got knocked down or Dotty would break through them. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

knock down

verb

1

: to strike to the ground with or as if with a sharp blow

2

: to sell to the highest bidder at an auction

3

: to take apart