knock off

B1 · Intermediate Informal

phr.v. to stop doing something annoying or unnecessary.

phr.v. to desist from a specific action or behaviour, often used as an imperative.

“Knock off that noise; I am trying to concentrate on my homework.”

“The teacher told the students to knock off the chatter and focus on the examination papers in front of them.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

phr.v. to reduce a price or an amount by a certain value.

phr.v. to deduct an amount from a total price or estimate.

“The manager knocked off ten dollars because the box was slightly damaged.”

“If we pay the full amount in cash today, the dealer might knock off a few hundred pounds from the final asking price.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

phr.v. to make a cheap or illegal copy of a popular product.

phr.v. to produce a cheap or unauthorised copy of a trademarked or branded product.

“It is easy to find street vendors who knock off expensive designer handbags.”

“The fashion house sued the retailer for attempting to knock off their signature summer dress design using inferior materials.”

C1 · Advanced Informal

phr.v. to finish a task quickly and without much effort.

phr.v. to produce or accomplish something hastily or with little effort.

“I can knock off this report in about twenty minutes.”

“He managed to knock off three articles before lunch, though the quality of the prose suffered from the lack of revision.”

C2 · Proficiency Slang

phr.v. to rob a place or to kill someone.

phr.v. to commit a robbery or to murder someone.

“The gang planned to knock off a local jewellery store during the night.”

“In the thriller, the protagonist discovers a plot to knock off the witness before the trial begins.”