knock sb about/around

informal — phrasal verb with knock

/nɒk/

/nɑːk/ verb

Definition

› to behave violently towards someone and hit them: Her husband used to knock her about.Treating people or animals badlyInsults and abuseUnkind, cruel and unfeelingViolent or aggressive

(Definition of knock sb about/around from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Focus on the pronunciation of knock sb about/around

Browse the Dictionary

knock back (sth) phrasal verb
knock it off idiom
knock noun (HIT)
knock noun (NOISE)
knock off (sth) phrasal verb
knock sb about/around phrasal verb
knock sb back (sth) phrasal verb
knock sb down phrasal verb
knock sb off phrasal verb (HAVE SEX)
knock sb off phrasal verb (MURDER)
knock sb off their pedestal idiom 1

Browse the Thesaurus

Business
Clothes
Education
Finance
Light and colour
Personal care

SMART Thesaurus: Treating people or animals badly

Synonyms and related words:

a raw deal idiom
at the hands of sb idiom
batten on sb phrasal verb
be heavy on sb idiom
be put upon phrasal verb
grind the faces of the poor idiom
harassment noun
have your knife into sb idiom
hell noun
hit sb where it hurts idiom
persecute verb
persecution noun
persecutor noun
pick on sb phrasal verb
prey on sb phrasal verb
trample verb (TREAT WITHOUT RESPECT)
treat sb like dirt idiom
trespass on/upon sth phrasal verb
tyrannical adjective
tyrannize verb

See more results »

Our dictionaries

British English
American English
Business English
Learner's Dictionary
Essential British English
Essential American English
English-Spanish
Español-inglés
English-Turkish

Word of the Day

demur

to express disagreement or refuse to do something

Word of the Day ►

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More ►

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.