Word.ws English Dictionary

knocking back

knocking back is the present participle and gerund of knock back.

Meaning of knock back

Verb

knock back (third-person singular simple present knocks back, present participle knocking back, simple past and past participle knocked back)

  1. (transitive) To stun; to surprise.
    • I was knocked back by the sheer size of the hall.
  2. (transitive) To drink an alcoholic beverage swiftly or often; to finish a beverage.
    • My friends were already knocking back drinks when I arrived at the bar.
  3. (transitive) To push or strike someone or something backward with force.
    • The impact of the collision knocked him back several feet.
  4. (transitive) To withstand or endure a difficult situation or setback.
    • Despite facing numerous challenges, she managed to knock them back and keep moving forward.
  5. (transitive) To achieve a significant accomplishment or success.
    • Their latest album really knocked it back and received critical acclaim.
  6. (Australia, UK, transitive) To reject; to refuse.
    • How many job seekers did you knock back today?

See all 7 meanings of knock back

Questions about knocking back

What is knocking back the present participle and gerund of?
Knocking back is the present participle and gerund of knock back.

Words near knocking back in the dictionary

  1. knocking a dog off a gut wagon
  2. knocking a skunk off a gut wagon
  3. knocking about
  4. knocking around
  5. knocking at the door of
  6. knocking back
  7. knocking boots
  8. knocking dead
  9. knocking down
  10. knocking down a notch
  11. knocking down a peg

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: knocking back (page history and authors); knock back (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.

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Cite this entry: “knocking back.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/knocking_back. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.