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knock

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noun

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as in setback
a change in status for the worse usually temporarily the geneticist's reputation took a knock when several of his peers were unable to confirm his research findings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of knock
Verb
Barstool Sports founder blames tariffs, continues to back Trump Dave Portnoy, millionaire founder of the media company Barstool Sports, knocked the struggling stock market, attributing his and others' losses to Trump's tariffs. Medora Lee, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025 Moreover, if your cat is knocking things over or breaking your stuff, providing them interactive toys and scratching posts can help redirect their attention. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
Boeser sustained a concussion on a cheap Tanner Jeannot hit in November, Hronek missed six weeks with a lower-body injury and in the final game before the Christmas break, both Quinn Hughes and Pettersson sustained knocks that would cost them games and comfort on the ice. Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025 The other knock against the 4201dw is its mediocre LCD and 360-degree dial controller. David English, PCMAG, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for knock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock
Verb
  • Rookie Kristian Campbell will start in left field, Jarren Duran will bump over to center field and Wilyer Abreu will start in right.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Sammy can hardly pass by my chair in the press box without bumping into it.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In the Season 5 finale, June was deliberately hit and run over by a car bearing the Gilead symbol.
    Abigail Lee, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Denzel Aberdeen hit the second of two free throws after Houston fouled, giving the Cougars one last chance to win or tie the game with 19 seconds to go.
    Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Last month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Trump's tariffs were partly to blame for price increases that had taken place in February.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • They are blamed for a mysterious illness that’s starting to spread – said to be passed through a single gaze, when one man falls in love with another.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • That’s a major blow to both sales and long-term customer loyalty.
    Samuel Mueller, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • His ruling, stopping the TPS revocation while the lawsuit plays out in his court, was a blow to the Trump administration.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Miami’s misfortune with close games and big leads hasn’t dissuaded Spoelstra’s goal to maximize each possession and win every game, even if his roster is significantly different from five months ago.
    James Jackson, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Healthy bodies are the only thing that can make a difference at Madison Square Garden, but where there is great demand, misfortune would have it there is also a great shortage.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • And with Julian then sharing the affair, that was a huge setback.
    Breanne L. Heldman, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Whatever the case may be, Starship's back-to-back failures to start the year are a setback.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Current world championship leader Lando Norris has typically celebrated his podiums by banging the base of the bottle on the step of the podium, causing the champagne to shoot upward into the sky.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The real world is where a middle-aged law-firm associate just banged the hotel bandit.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • That proved a terrible bet for the Ukrainians, since the likelihood of Putin entering peace talks when tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were occupying a piece of Mother Russia was about as low as the S&P 500 doubling in value after Trump slapped tariffs on everybody.
    Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Miss: The Ring General World Heavyweight Champion Gunther was interrupted by Jey Uso, who came through the crowd to confront him in the ring; despite Gunther's attempts to speak, Jey slapped the microphone away and questioned Gunther about his family.
    Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Knock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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