# knock it off

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/knock-it-off
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to tell someone to stop doing something annoying or wrong.

For teachers: imperative phrasal verb used to demand an immediate cessation of an irritating or inappropriate action; informal register.

## Examples

- Knock it off! You're being too loud.
- The teacher told the boys to knock it off when they kept tapping their pens.
- After enduring twenty minutes of heckling, the speaker finally snapped, 'Knock it off and let me finish!'

## Pitfalls

- Not "He knocked it off during the meeting." but "Knock it off during the meeting!" — the phrase is imperative only; it does not conjugate for past or third-person.

## Usage notes

- used only in the imperative; object 'it' is fixed and never replaced.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'stop it' (neutral) and 'cut it out' (same tone); 'knock it off' carries mild irritation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.