knock up

Definition of knock upnext
British
as in to wake
to cause to stop sleeping I asked the clerk at the hotel to knock me up at 7:00 a.m.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 up The pair collided with such force that Dumoulin got knocked up about two feet in the air before landing hard on his padded backside. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2026 Ask Omar, the bartender, to knock up a spritz from his mini vermuteria. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026 Meanwhile, while Miranda busies herself with building a pageant empire, her husband Ray, a pill-popping nurse, has knocked up the 18-year-old granddaughter of one of his hospice patients. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025 Julia, worried, maintains that she’s not knocked up. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 2025 With 200 hp worth of empty space to play with before knocking up against the 600-hp V12 Verado, Mercury is dialing up the overall output of the V10 range by adding a new 425-hp variant as the flagship of the family. New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock up
Verb
  • Andrillon warned against trying to harness the sleeping mind in the service of the waking world.
    Shayla Love, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
  • Throngs of motorboaters flock to Boyd Lake every summer for water skiing, wake boarding and other aquatic activities on a reservoir whose primary purpose is furnishing drinking water for Greeley and serving northern Colorado agricultural needs.
    John Meyer, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • As the countercultural revolution begins, and music starts to change the world, Pearl awakens to a life beyond the one she’s always known.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The commotion awakened the victim’s mother, who rushed in, causing the suspect to burst out of the home and flee, authorities said.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Alvarez awoke Sunday leading the majors in slugging, OPS and home runs, a flaming core at the heart of a cooling lineup.
    Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
  • When Gould awoke, she was thrilled to see her husband and newborn son.
    Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Knock up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20up. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

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