knocking

verb

Definition of knockingnext
present participle of knock
1
as in bumping
to come into usually forceful contact with something my knee knocked against the table leg when I tried to get up quickly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hitting
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner threatened to knock him upside the head if he didn't do as he was told

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in blaming
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of hey, don't knock it until you've tried it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking
  1. bumping
  2. hitting
  3. slamming
  4. criticizing
  5. condemning
  6. colliding
  7. punching
  8. denouncing
Verb
  • Then there was an inactive Georgia player getting too excited on Arian Smith’s 63-yard catch and run and bumping into a side judge; Smart said normally that would result in a warning, but this Big 12 crew went for the 15-yard penalty.
    Seth Emerson, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
  • The Heat were readying to inbound a pass in the backcourt while up by four points in the final 36 seconds when Thompson and Herro began bumping each other.
    Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Definition of bumping
Verb
  • Before hitting the East Coast, this storm hit the Midwest on Sunday.
    Max Golembo, ABC News, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Players continue hitting the cue ball off other balls to try and get their balls into pockets until only the eight ball remains.
    Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of hitting
Verb
  • Hundreds of drones being used as part of a Saturday night aerial light show in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground, according to videos posted online.
    Louis Casiano, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
  • His endorsement of the AfD came alongside a video of a far-right German commentator slamming the leading candidate to become Germany’s next chancellor, the conservative Friedrich Merz.
    Laura Kelly, The Hill, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • Shiney-Ajay said Harris should have spent additional time criticizing lawmakers—like Manchin and Congressional Republicans—who limited the administration's climate goals, using it as a chance to emphasize her intent to seek greater climate victories in the future.
    Alex J. Rouhandeh, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
  • While most have become accustomed and perhaps even oblivious to McGregor’s online rants, openly criticizing a business partner is a little dicey.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of criticizing
Verb
  • The statement sparked outrage with GOP lawmakers, who slammed Allstate for not explicitly condemning terrorism.
    Jackson Walker, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Back at the office, Helly receives news of her resignation request - her outie denied it, condemning her to a lifetime of work.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
Definition of condemning
Verb
  • The two have appeared to be colliding once again, this time involving the rapper Drake and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, LeBron James.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025
  • On York Boulevard in Los Angeles, a blurred black hole hangs on a dark wall, joined only by a pair of headphones playing looping echoes of its siblings colliding.
    Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 4 Jan. 2025
Definition of colliding
Verb
  • The group in the other vehicle surround Martinez between the two vehicles, with two people repeatedly punching her while a third person pulls her legs, taking her to the ground.
    Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
  • According to Hallman, Forrest-Stitt responded by allegedly assaulting him, punching him in the chest, hitting his mouth, and causing injuries, including a busted lip and a painful bicep injury.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of punching
Verb
  • The governor questioned the project’s future but stopped short of denouncing the possible use of eminent domain to advance the MPRP.
    Gary Collins, Baltimore Sun, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Among those denouncing the deportations was Gandy Thomas, Haiti’s permanent representative of the Organization of American states, an international body that promotes democracy and defends human rights.
    Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 15 Dec. 2024
Definition of denouncing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near knocking

knock for a loop

knocking

knocking (about)

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Knocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on knocking

Nglish: Translation of knocking for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of knocking for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.