Knock

(nŏk), v. i. [imp. & p. p. KNOCKED; p. pr. & vb. n. KNOCKING.] [A-S. cnocian, cnucian, Sw. knacka, W. cnocio, Gael. & Ir. knag.]

1Sense 1. To strike or beat with something hard or heavy; as, to knock with a club or with the fist; to knock at the door.

For harbor at a thousand doors they knocked; Not one of all the thousand but was locked. — Dryden.

2Sense 2. To drive or be driven against; to strike against; to clash; as, when one heavy body knocks against another.

To knock up, to become fatigued; to fail of strength; to become wearied or worn out, as with labor; to give out. “The horses were beginning to knock up under the fatigue of such severe service.” De Quincey. — To knock off, to cease; to desist. — To knock under, to yield; to submit; to acknowledge to be conquered; an expression borrowed from the practice of knocking under the table, when conquered.

(nŏk), v. t. 1. To strike; to drive against; as, to knock the head against a post. 2. To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door. To knock down. (a.) To strike down; to fell; to prostrate by a blow or by blows; as, to knock down an ox. (b.) (Auctions.) To assign to a bidder by a blow or knock; to knock off. — To knock in the head, or on the head, to stun or kill by a blow upon the head; hence, to put an end to; to defeat, as a scheme or project; to frustrate; to foil; to quash. [Colloq.] — To knock off. (a.) To force off by beating. (b.) (Auctions.) To assign to a bidder by a blow on the counter. — To knock out, to force out by a blow or by blows; as, to knock out the brains. — To knock up. (a.) To arouse by knocking. (b.) To beat out; to fatigue till unable to do more; as, the men were entirely knocked up. [Colloq.] “The day being exceedingly hot, the want of food had knocked up my followers.” Petherick. (c.) (Bookbinding.) To make even at the edges, or to shape into order, as printed sheets.