knock up
Britishverb
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Also: knock together. informal to assemble quickly; improvise
to knock up a set of shelves
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informal to waken; rouse
to knock someone up early
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slang to make pregnant
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informal to exhaust
the heavy work knocked him up
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cricket to score (runs)
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(intr) tennis squash badminton to practise or hit the ball about informally, esp before a match
noun
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a practice session at tennis, squash, or a similar game
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Make pregnant, as in The young girl said she was afraid of getting knocked up . [ Slang ; early 1800s]
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Injure or damage, as in This coffee table got all knocked up in the moving van .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Almost anyone can knock up a batch of scones, or fairy cakes, or a decent Victoria sponge, or even a Christmas cake without too much effort," Cloake said.
From Salon • Dec. 10, 2022
You can preorder the 40mm configuration for $299.99, or the 44mm model for $329.99, and AT&T will knock up to $200 off if you trade in an eligible device.
From The Verge • Aug. 11, 2021
Officials express confidence China can weather the latest trouble but forecasters say it could knock up to 1 percentage point off this year’s growth, which might fall to as low as 5.2%.
From Washington Times • Feb. 4, 2020
Forecasters warn that with no resolution, the conflict could knock up to 0.5 percentage points off global growth through 2020.
From Fox News • Dec. 28, 2018
We’ll have the stove lighted, and we’ll knock up some shelves, and we’ll have a piano in, and the sofa from my room, nicht wahr?
From The First Violin A Novel by Fothergill, Jessie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.