knockdown

1 of 3

adjective

knock·​down ˈnäk-ˌdau̇n How to pronounce knockdown (audio)
1
: having such force as to strike down or overwhelm
a bewildering assortment of knockdown argumentsJ. 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

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 moneyInfantry 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

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
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.
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
The Friday night fight pitting the 27-year-old Paul against someone more than twice his age finished without any knockdowns and a loss by unanimous decision for the 58-year-old Tyson. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2024 He’s earned four knockdowns in that span and is capable of hurting any man in this division. Brett Appley, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
Verb
With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bronny dribbled toward the baseline, then backed out, steadied himself, and knocked down a smooth jumpshot. Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2024 Firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were sent to the home in the 6000 block of Sultana Avenue at around 4:50 p.m. and were able to knock down the fire in 30 minutes. Camilla Rambaldi, NBC News, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for knockdown 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of knockdown was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near knockdown

Cite this Entry

“Knockdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knockdown. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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
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