1
as in robbing
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
he knocked over six convenience stores before getting caught
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in downing
to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall
knocked me over trying to get out the door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knocking over
The gusts progressively grew stronger, knocking over planters and forcing food vendors to close up shop early, until the festival itself was paused and performers were ushered offstage.
—
Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2026
People ducked under tables and chairs, knocking over table settings.
—Calvin Woodward, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
The robot was captured on video at the Haidilao location approaching a table before pounding on it, then knocking over utensils and food in front of customers.
—Isabel Yip, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
Bess finally blurted out, gesticulating and knocking over her glass of wine just as Sam opened a new bottle.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Coach Travis Steele screamed at the officials at halftime, knocking over a speaker on his way off the court and picking up a technical foul.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
When—and why—laughter works In the study, Sezer and her colleagues ran six experiments involving more than 3,000 participants who read about other people’s embarrassing mishaps, like dramatically knocking over a glass in a restaurant or enthusiastically waving at the wrong person.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Jascoco The cows stampeded into a neighborhood, knocking over mailboxes, trampling fences, and bumping into cars as they were being chased.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Again, the bots were not always gainly—one viral video showed a humanoid veering off a running track and knocking over a human spectator—but the atmosphere was one of dynamism and experimentation.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2026
People ducked under tables and chairs, knocking over table settings.
—Calvin Woodward, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
The robot was captured on video at the Haidilao location approaching a table before pounding on it, then knocking over utensils and food in front of customers.
—Isabel Yip, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
Bess finally blurted out, gesticulating and knocking over her glass of wine just as Sam opened a new bottle.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Coach Travis Steele screamed at the officials at halftime, knocking over a speaker on his way off the court and picking up a technical foul.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
When—and why—laughter works In the study, Sezer and her colleagues ran six experiments involving more than 3,000 participants who read about other people’s embarrassing mishaps, like dramatically knocking over a glass in a restaurant or enthusiastically waving at the wrong person.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Jascoco The cows stampeded into a neighborhood, knocking over mailboxes, trampling fences, and bumping into cars as they were being chased.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Again, the bots were not always gainly—one viral video showed a humanoid veering off a running track and knocking over a human spectator—but the atmosphere was one of dynamism and experimentation.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking over
Verb
-
Earlier this year, one of the members of the group, a 17-year-old, testified against Eric Halem, a former Los Angeles police officer who was convicted last month of robbing $350,000 worth of cryptocurrency from the teen in 2024.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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He was wanted after allegedly robbing a Family Dollar store on Saturday morning and pistol-whipping one of their female employees, taking her wallet and keys.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the sun sets, the fruit bats swoop among the trees as couples and young families lounge on large poolside cabanas, downing languid cocktails and listening to live guitar strums before heading for a casual dinner.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
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Fast-moving storms pummeled parts of the Midwest with hail, strong wind and heavy rain Monday, flooding streets, stranding commuters and downing many trees, including one in western Michigan that landed on a man and killed him.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Four of the seven matches went to Super Tiebreakers, and Cypress Bay had to dig out of a 2-0 hole after dropping their two singles matches.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
2 May 2026
-
With that option off the table, the Jeju pilots would have had to consider dropping the gear manually.—
James Glanz,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The big man has been efficient all playoffs by bulldozing to the rim and finishing, by knocking down trailing 3s and hitting the offensive glass.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
As their mutual competitiveness grows shockingly ugly, Niall learns to turn Ruben’s Samsonian strength and fury against him, knocking down the pillars of Ruben’s own life.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That passion to play every moment to the hilt, along with her powerful hitting stroke, that came with being a coach’s daughter.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Horner told a false story about hitting the little girl with his van and then strangling her in a panic, according to testimony of the case’s lead investigator, Texas Ranger Job Espinoza.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocking over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20over. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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