knock

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a bad experience

   the school of hard knocks

2. 2
   noun

   the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)

   the knocking grew louder

3. 3
   noun

   a vigorous blow

   the sudden knock floored him

4. 4
   verb

   rap with the knuckles

   knock on the door

5. 5
   noun

   An abrupt rapping sound, as from an impact of a hard object against wood.

   It came to me, like a knock on the door / Erasing all that had gone before / Broken wings can be mended / But this love of ours, we've got to defend it

6. 6
   noun

   A sharp impact.

   He took a knock on the head.

7. 7
   noun

   A criticism.

   Since forming in 2007 Mumford & Sons have hard-toured their way to a vast market for throaty folk that's strong on banjo and bass drum. They have released two enormous albums. But, wow, do they take some knocks back home.

8. 8
   noun

   A blow or setback.

   "Come on!" cried Mr. Beaver, who was almost dancing with delight. "Come and see! This is a nasty knock for the Witch! It looks as if her power was already crumbling."

Etymology

From Middle English knokken, from Old English cnocian, ġecnocian, ġecnucian, cnucian (“to knock, pound on, beat”), from Proto-West Germanic *knokōn, from Proto-Germanic *knukōną (“to knock”), a suffixed form of *knu-, *knew- (“to pound on, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gnew-, *gen- (“to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate”). The English word is cognate with Middle High German knochen (“to hit”), Old English cnuian, cnuwian (“to pound, knock”), Old Norse knoka (compare Danish knuge (“to squeeze”), Swedish knocka (“to hug”)). More at knuckle.