# knock off

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/knock-off
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to finish work

phrasal verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to stop working at the end of the day.

For teachers: to cease work or other activity, typically at the end of a shift or workday.

- We usually knock off at five o'clock on Fridays to beat the traffic.
- The construction crew decided to knock off early due to the torrential rain, as the site had become too hazardous for heavy machinery.

### 2. to stop doing something

phrasal verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to stop doing something annoying or unnecessary.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. to reduce a price

phrasal verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

### 4. to copy a design

phrasal verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

### 5. to complete quickly

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to finish a task quickly and without much effort.

For teachers: 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.

### 6. to rob or kill

phrasal verb · CEFR C2 · Slang

to rob a place or to kill someone.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- They knocked off work early today.
- The shop knocked off the price of the jacket by 20% to clear stock.
- The artist, seeking to refine his vision, knocked off several layers of paint from the canvas.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: contrast with 'knock down' (lower prices) and 'knock out' (defeat or remove completely); 'knock off' is more about cessation or partial reduction.

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