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knock into

B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words

To walk or move and hit something by accident, or to force something into a new shape.

Literal meaning: To knock and go into something.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To accidentally collide with something or someone while moving.

"Hurrying through the dark corridor, she knocked into a filing cabinet and spilled all her papers."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

To force or transform something into a particular condition or shape through effort or discipline.

"The new coach was determined to knock the team into a winning unit before the season opener."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Two main senses: physical collision ('I knocked into the shelf') and transformation through effort ('knock it into shape'). The figurative sense of 'knock into shape' means to discipline or improve someone through firm treatment.

Commonly used with

shelf wall table shape someone post

Forms

Base
knock into
I/you/we/they
3rd person
knocks into
he/she/it
Past simple
knocked into
yesterday
Past participle
knocked into
have + pp
-ing form
knocking into
continuous

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Synonyms

bump into collide with crash into run into slam into

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