Definition of knock

knockverb

đánh, đập, cú đánh

/nɒk/

Definition of undefined

The word "knock" has its origins in Old English and Germanic languages. The earliest recorded use of the word dates back to the 9th century. The Proto-Germanic word "*khnkiz" is thought to have been the ancestor of the Modern English word "knock". This Proto-Germanic word likely evolved from the Proto-Indo-European root "*genu-", which meant "to kneel" or "to bend". Over time, the meaning of the word "knock" shifted to describe the act of striking or hitting something with a fist or a tool, as well as its common idiomatic use to refer to a sudden or unexpected sound. Today, the word "knock" is used in many contexts, including phrases such as "knock on wood" and "knock it off".

at door/window

to hit a door, etc. in order to attract attention

đánh vào một cánh cửa, v.v. để thu hút sự chú ý

Example:
  • He knocked three times and waited.

    Anh gõ ba lần và chờ đợi.

  • I knocked on the door and went straight in.

    Tôi gõ cửa rồi đi thẳng vào.

  • Somebody was knocking on the window.

    Có ai đó đang gõ cửa sổ.

Extra examples:
  • Dobson walked straight into her office without knocking.

    Dobson đi thẳng vào văn phòng của cô mà không gõ cửa.

  • Someone knocked loudly at the door.

    Có người gõ mạnh vào cửa.

  • She knocked timidly on the study door and entered.

    Cô rụt rè gõ cửa phòng làm việc rồi bước vào.

Related words and phrases

hit

to hit something hard, often by accident

đánh cái gì đó cứng, thường là do tai nạn

Example:
  • Be careful you don't knock your head on this low beam.

    Hãy cẩn thận, đừng đập đầu vào chùm sáng thấp này.

  • Her hand knocked against the glass.

    Tay cô chạm vào kính.

  • She dropped the pile of books when he accidentally knocked her shoulder.

    Cô đánh rơi chồng sách khi anh vô tình va vào vai cô.

Extra examples:
  • The door's very low—mind you don't knock your head!

    Cánh cửa rất thấp - nhớ đừng đập đầu vào nhé!

  • The stick knocked against the wall.

    Cây gậy đập vào tường.

to hit something so that it moves or breaks

đánh cái gì đó để nó di chuyển hoặc phá vỡ

Example:
  • He'd knocked over a glass of water.

    Anh ta đã làm đổ cốc nước.

  • I knocked the nail into the wall.

    Tôi đập chiếc đinh vào tường.

  • They had to knock the door down to get in.

    Họ phải phá cửa mới vào được.

  • He had knocked one of the pictures off the wall.

    Anh ta đã đánh rơi một trong những bức tranh khỏi tường.

  • The boys were knocking (= kicking) a ball around in the back yard.

    Các chàng trai đang gõ (= đá) một quả bóng xung quanh sân sau.

  • The criticism had knocked (= damaged) her self-esteem.

    Những lời chỉ trích đã đánh gục (= làm tổn hại) lòng tự trọng của cô ấy.

Extra examples:
  • I accidentally knocked over his drink.

    Tôi vô tình làm đổ đồ uống của anh ấy.

  • Mind you don't knock that glass over.

    Nhớ đừng làm đổ cái kính đó nhé.

  • I accidentally knocked the vase off the table.

    Tôi vô tình làm rơi chiếc bình khỏi bàn.

to put somebody/something into a particular state by hitting them/it

đẩy ai/cái gì vào một trạng thái cụ thể bằng cách đánh họ/nó

Example:
  • The blow knocked me flat.

    Cú đánh khiến tôi ngã nhào.

  • He was knocked senseless by the blow.

    Anh ta bị đánh bất tỉnh bởi cú đánh.

  • She knocked my drink flying.

    Cô ấy đánh bay đồ uống của tôi.

  • The two rooms had been knocked into one (= the wall between them had been knocked down).

    Hai căn phòng đã bị đập thành một (= bức tường giữa chúng đã bị đánh sập).

Extra examples:
  • The blow knocked him unconscious.

    Cú đánh khiến anh bất tỉnh.

  • The explosion knocked him off his feet.

    Vụ nổ khiến anh ngã khỏi chân.

  • He was knocked flying as two policemen came crashing through the door.

    Anh ta bị đánh bay khi hai cảnh sát lao qua cửa.

to make a hole in something by hitting it hard

tạo một lỗ trên cái gì đó bằng cách đánh mạnh vào nó

Example:
  • They managed to knock a hole in the wall.

    Họ đã đục được một lỗ trên tường.

of heart/knees

if your heart knocks, it beats hard; if your knees knock, they shake, for example from fear

nếu tim bạn gõ, nó đập mạnh; nếu đầu gối của bạn va vào nhau, chúng sẽ rung chuyển, ví dụ như vì sợ hãi

Example:
  • My heart was knocking wildly.

    Tim tôi đập loạn xạ.

of engine/pipes

to make a regular sound of metal hitting metal, especially because there is something wrong

tạo ra âm thanh đều đặn của kim loại va vào kim loại, đặc biệt là vì có gì đó không ổn

criticize

to criticize somebody/something, especially when it happens unfairly

chỉ trích ai/cái gì, đặc biệt là khi nó xảy ra không công bằng

Example:
  • The newspapers are always knocking the England team.

    Báo chí luôn đánh gục đội tuyển Anh.

  • It may sound pretty childish, but don't knock it until you've tried it.

    Nghe có vẻ khá trẻ con nhưng đừng bỏ qua cho đến khi bạn thử nó.

Related words and phrases

Idioms

bang/knock your/their heads together
(informal)to force people to stop arguing and behave in a sensible way
beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody
(informal)to hit somebody very hard several times and hurt them very much
  • Get out or I’ll beat the living daylights out of you!
    • beat/kick (the) hell out of somebody/something | knock hell out of somebody/something
    (informal)to hit somebody/something very hard
  • He was a dirty player and loved to kick hell out of the opposition.
    • blow/knock somebody’s socks off
    (informal)to surprise or impress somebody very much
    get/knock/lick somebody into shape
    to train somebody so that they do a particular job, task, etc. well
  • It took him just two weeks to knock the new recruits into shape.
    • get/knock/lick something into shape
    to make something more acceptable, organized or successful
  • I've got all the information together but it still needs knocking into shape.
  • It shouldn’t take long to get the company back into shape.
    • hit/knock somebody for six
    (British English)to affect somebody very deeply
  • The business over the lawsuit had really knocked her for six.
    • I’ll knock your block/head off!
    (informal)used to threaten somebody that you will hit them
    knock somebody dead
    (informal)to impress somebody very much
  • You look fabulous—you'll knock ’em dead tonight.
    • knock somebody/something into a cocked hat
    (British English, old-fashioned)to be very much better than somebody/something
  • She knocks the rest of the cast into a cocked hat.
    • knock it off!
    (informal)used to tell somebody to stop making a noise, annoying you, etc.
  • Knock it off, kids—I’m trying to work.
    • knock somebody off their pedestal/perch
    to make somebody lose their position as somebody/something successful or admired
  • A lot of teams are looking to knock us off our perch.
    • knock something on the head
    (British English, informal)to stop something from happening; to stop doing something
  • The recession knocked on the head any idea of expanding the company.
  • By eleven o’clock we were all tired so we knocked it on the head.
    • knock on wood
    (saying)used when talking about your previous good luck or your hopes for the future, to avoid bringing bad luck
  • I've been driving for over 20 years and never had an accident—knock on wood!
    • knock somebody sideways
    (informal)to surprise or shock somebody so much that they are unable to react immediately
    knock/talk some sense into somebody
    to try and persuade somebody to stop behaving in a stupid way, sometimes using rough or violent methods
  • Try and talk some sense into her before she makes the wrong decision.
  • Where would I be without you to knock some sense into my head?
    • knock spots off somebody/something
    (British English, informal)to be very much better than somebody/something
  • She knocks spots off all the other candidates.
    • knock the stuffing out of somebody
    (informal)to make somebody lose their confidence and enthusiasm
    you could have knocked me down with a feather
    (informal)used to express surprise