knock up
phr. v..phr. v.. to wake someone by knocking on their door — often used in informal British English.
phr. v.. to wake someone by knocking; also used informally to mean 'to create or produce something quickly' (e.g., 'knock up a report'). Marked British informal / slang.
He knocked up his friend at 7 AM.
She had to knock up her roommate because they were late for work.
The journalist knocked up a detailed report in under an hour, impressing the editor.
- Particles
- up
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- knock + up + object
typically followed by a person or thing being created or woken.
contrast with 'wake up' (more direct) and 'produce' (formal alternative); note the informal use of 'knock up' meaning 'create quickly' is limited to British English.
He knocked up.He knocked up his friend.the phrasal verb requires an object to indicate who or what is being knocked up