knock back
Definition
Verb (transitive, informal): 1. To cost a specific, often large, amount of money: To require someone to pay a particular sum, implying the expense is significant or noticeable. 2. To drink (an alcoholic beverage) quickly: To consume a drink, especially alcohol, in one go or very rapidly. 3. To shock or disconcert someone: To surprise or upset someone, causing them to be temporarily taken aback.
Usage and Examples
- Meaning 1 (To cost):
- That new smartphone must have knocked him back a few hundred dollars.
- Renovating the kitchen knocked us back more than we had budgeted.
- Meaning 2 (To drink quickly):
- He knocked back his beer and ordered another.
- She knocked back the shot of whiskey without flinching.
- Meaning 3 (To shock):
- The bad news really knocked her back; she was silent for a long time.
- I was knocked back by the sheer rudeness of his comment.
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is separable. The object (e.g., , , ) can come between "knock" and "back" or after the phrase.
- The car knocked me back $10,000. OR The car knocked back $10,000.
- He knocked the drink back. OR (less common for this meaning) He knocked back the drink.
Variants and Related Words
- Set back (verb): A near-synonym for the "cost" meaning. (e.g., )
- Down (verb, informal): A synonym for the "drink quickly" meaning. (e.g., )
- Knockdown (noun/adjective): Refers to a heavy blow or a reduced price, sharing the root "knock" but with a different meaning.
Synonyms
- For "cost": set back, amount to, come to
- For "drink quickly": down, gulp, swallow, drain
- For "shock": stun, stagger, shake, disconcert
Phrasal Verbs
- Knock back is itself a phrasal verb with the meanings listed above.
Related Idioms
- Knock someone for six: (British English, informal) To shock or upset someone very much. This is similar to the "shock" meaning of but stronger.
- The sudden redundancy notice knocked him for six.
Verb
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cost a certain amount
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My daughter's wedding set me back $20,000
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