knock

▪ I. knock knock ¹ [nɒk ǁ nɑːk] verb [transitive]

1. FINANCE if something knocks the price of shares, stocks etc, the price changes very quickly and unexpectedly:

• Talk of easing the US credit policy knocked prices higher in light trade.

• Its shares were knocked by the Kuwait Investment's Office's decision to sell 10% of its stake.

2. knock on/​at the door to make it clear that you want to join something or want help from someone:

• A number of countries are knocking at the European Union's door.

knock something → down phrasal verb [transitive]

1. informal to reduce the price of something so that it is very cheap:

• Volkswagen has knocked down the prices of the base GL model this year.

2. be knocked down to somebody to be sold at an auction (= a sale where something is sold to the person willing to pay most ) :

• The item was finally knocked down for £790 to a bidder in the saleroom.

knock something off (something) phrasal verb [transitive] informal

to reduce the price, value etc of something by a particular amount:

• The poor results knocked 13p off the share price.

knock something → out phrasal verb [transitive] informal

1. to produce a lot of something:

• Price's Patent Candle Company has been knocking out candles at its London factory since 1831.

2. if something knocks out a system, machine etc it stops it working:

• Fluctuations in the mains power supply knocked out the computer which normally logs all changes in operations.

  [m0] ▪ II. knock knock ² noun [countable]

something which suddenly makes a product fail or makes prices fall:

• The US is likely to take a series of knocks from discounting in the car market.

• a 612-point knock to the FTSE-index

* * *

Ⅰ.

knock UK US /nɒk/ verb [T]

► to cause a sudden and unexpected change in something such as prices: »

His downbeat assessment knocked the company's share price enough to ensure that it failed to rejoin the FTSE 100.

»

Analysts have warned that price cuts and slowing sales would knock profits.

► to affect someone or something badly: »

The hotel and conference sector has been knocked sideways by a catalogue of problems in recent years.

»

Manufacturing redundancies in the area are knocking buyers' confidence.

be knocked by sth »

The financial markets were badly knocked by the week's political turmoil.

► INFORMAL to criticize something or someone: »

Critics may knock the company, but it's still a good investment.

»

You can knock him for some things, but you have to give him credit for his record.

● come knocking — Cf. come knocking

● knock on/at sb's door — Cf. knock on/at sb's door

● knock sth on the head — Cf. knock sth on the head

● knock spots off sth/sb — Cf. knock spots off sth/sb

● knock sth/sb into shape — Cf. knock sth/sb into shape

● knock the bottom out of sth — Cf. knock the bottom out of sth

Ⅱ.

knock UK US /nɒk/ noun [C]

► a situation in which something is badly affected: »

Sales of champagne were up over the key Christmas period despite earlier fears of a knock in consumer confidence.

► INFORMAL a bad experience: »

take/suffer/have a knock

»

In him, we see a man, toughened by his share of hard knocks, who's had to struggle for every success.

► a criticism of someone or something: a knock on sb/sth »

The biggest knock on internet phones is that they're only as reliable as your broadband connection.