EN

Synonyms for knock

39 synonyms
4 meanings

verb
noun

Most common

smash slap thump thwack pick apart pink bump ping

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Bang — to have sex with

bang, hit, beat, smash, blow, thwack, tap, slap, crack, thump, strike, poke, clap, pound, wallop, bonk, stroke, dash, pelt, clash, boom-boom, shaft

2. Pick apart

pick apart, criticize UK US, criticise UK, lambast UK, lamblast US

3. Rap

Other

bump, ping, bob, clip

Noun

1. Whack

whack, belt, wang

Other

back fire, bash, knock-off, roast, hunger knock informal

Definitions

v. 1
To have sex with.
v. 2
To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.
Knock on the door and find out if they’re home.
v. 3
To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door.
n. 1
An abrupt rapping sound, as from an impact of a hard object against wood.

Related words

Word family: knock-knee knock-knock knockproof knocker knockers knocker-upper knock-on
Phrases: knock-off knock up knock down knock about knock over knock down ginger knock together knock boots

Forms

Plural: knocks → whacks, belts, wangs, bashes…
Past participle: knocked
e.g. knocked → banged, beaten, smashed, blown…

Example sentences

smash Did you smash the window willingly or unwillingly?
slap For Markku Liisa's comment was a slap in the face.
thump Michael's heart started to thump in his chest.
pink Tom can't remember where he bought his pink socks.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
knock		rising
smash		rising
slap		rising
thump		rising
thwack		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: hit¹, bob¹, tap¹, rap¹
4 letters: beat¹, blow¹, pink¹, belt¹, bang¹, clip¹, slap¹, dash¹, bump¹, wang¹, ping¹, bash¹, poke¹, clap¹
5 letters: crack¹, pound¹, smash¹, clash¹, shaft¹, roast¹, whack¹, thump¹
6 letters: strike¹, stroke¹, wallop², thwack
7 letters: lambast
8 letters: lamblast
9 letters: criticize³, criticise

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (wallop² = 2 syllables).