knocking
Syllables: knock·ingUK/ˈnɒkɪŋ//ˈnɑkɪŋ/
knocking is the present participle and gerund of knock.
Noun
knocking (plural knockings)
- An act in which something is knocked on, or the sound thus produced
- These strange openings and closings and knockings were warnings and reminders from the spirits who attend the dying.1893, W. B. Yeats, The Celtic Twilight
- There was no response to continued knockings.1901, Carson Jay Lee, Oswald Langdon
- A repetitive ping, knock, or similar sound coming from an engine in which there are repeated uncontrolled explosions in the combustion chamber.
- Sir―I was greatly interested in a short article in The Motor Cycle on the subject of engine knocking.1914 November 14, The Motor Cycle, London, page 528, column 1
- Knocking can also occur at high speed, but that may go undetected by the driver.2021 December, The Road Ahead, Brisbane, page 56, column 1
Meaning of knock
Verb
knock (third-person singular simple present knocks, present participle knocking, simple past and past participle knocked)
- To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.
- Knock on the door and find out if they’re home.
- To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door.
- Master, knock the door hard.c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- To criticize verbally; to denigrate; to undervalue.
- Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.
- To kick a ball towards another player; to pass.
- To hit a ball into play.
- Despite enjoying more than their fair share of possession the visitors did not look like creating anything, with their lack of a killer ball painfully obvious as they harmlessly knocked the ball around outside the home side's box without ever looking like they would hurt them.2011 January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, “West Ham 2 – 1 Birmingham”, in BBC Sport
- To impress forcibly or strongly; to astonish; to move to admiration or applause.
Forms of knocking
| plural | knockings |
|---|
Phrases with knocking
- knocking in
- knocking on
- knocking up
- knocking off
- knocking out
- came knocking
- come knocking
- knocking back
- knocking dead
- knocking down
- knocking into
- knocking over
56 more phrasesFewer phrases
- knocking wood
- comes knocking
- knocking about
- knocking boots
- knocking mills
- knocking round
- knocking shops
- knocking under
- coming knocking
- knocking around
- knocking it off
- knocking on wood
- knocking one out
- knocking spirits
- knocking sideways
- knocking together
- knocking down a peg
- knocking for a loop
- knocking into shape
- knocking on the head
- knocking oneself out
- knocking down a notch
- knocking down to size
- knocking someone flat
- knocking at the door of
- knocking on the door of
- knocking out of the box
- knocking some sense into
- knocking someone for six
- knocking the corners off
- knocking into a cocked hat
- opportunity comes knocking
- knocking it out of the park
- knocking someone's wind out
- knocking off someone's block
- knocking one out of the park
- knocking someone's socks off
- knocking the daylight out of
- knocking the stuffing out of
- knocking the daylights out of
- knocking a dog off a gut wagon
- knocking it out of the ballpark
- knocking a skunk off a gut wagon
- knocking one down with a feather
- knocking one out of the ballpark
- knocking one over with a feather
- knocking someone off their perch
- knocking one out of the ball park
- knocking the ball out of the park
- knocking a buzzard off a gut wagon
- knocking a buzzard off a shit wagon
- knocking someone down with a feather
- knocking someone over with a feather
- knocking the living daylights out of
- knocking the wind out of someone's sails
- knocking someone into the middle of next week
Words that rhyme with knocking
Questions about knocking
- What does knocking mean?
- Knocking means an act in which something is knocked on, or the sound thus produced.
- What is knocking the present participle and gerund of?
- Knocking is the present participle and gerund of knock.
- What part of speech is knocking?
- Knocking is a noun.
- How do you pronounce knocking?
- Knocking is pronounced /ˈnɑkɪŋ/ (US).
- What is the plural of knocking?
- The plural of knocking is knockings.
Words near knocking in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: knocking (page history and authors); knock (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-knocking.ogg.
Cite this entry: “knocking.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/knocking. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.