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knock over

A2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To accidentally hit something and make it fall on its side.

Literal meaning: To knock something so that it goes over onto its side.

Meanings

1 A2 neutral

To accidentally hit something and cause it to fall or topple.

"She reached across the desk and knocked over her coffee, spilling it all over the keyboard."

Grammar: separable
2 A2 neutral

To hit and cause a person to fall, typically with a vehicle.

"A cyclist was knocked over by a taxi that jumped the pavement."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic slang

Informal slang: to rob a place, such as a bank or shop.

"The gang had planned to knock over the jewellery store on a busy Saturday morning."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Very common and mostly literal. Used for objects (knocking over a glass, a lamp) or people (a car knocking over a pedestrian). Also used informally to mean to rob a place such as a bank ('knock over a bank'), though this sense is informal and primarily North American slang.

Commonly used with

glass vase lamp pedestrian bike bank store

Forms

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

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Synonyms

tip over topple overturn upend upset bowl over

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