knock up
Also: knock together informal to assemble quickly; improvise: to knock up a set of shelves
British informal to waken; rouse: to knock someone up early
slang to make pregnant
British informal to exhaust: the heavy work knocked him up
cricket to score (runs)
(intr) tennis squash badminton to practise or hit the ball about informally, esp before a match
a practice session at tennis, squash, or a similar game
Words Nearby knock up
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
How to use knock up in a sentence
Come ashore and knock up Dollmann; we must denounce him, and get them both aboard; it's now or never.
The Riddle of the Sands | Erskine Childers"Better go slow and sure than fast and knock up the horses," cautioned Phineas, riding up beside him.
The Hero of Panama | F. S. BreretonInspector, do you really think it necessary to disturb the whole house and knock up all my guests?
Loyalties (Fifth Series Plays) | John GalsworthyMen without stirrups look fine, ride bold, tire soon: men without discretion cut dash, but knock up all of a crack.
Eugene Aram, Complete | Edward Bulwer-LyttonIf you want to beat the enemy, you must knock up the revenue.
Sybil | Benjamin Disraeli
Other Idioms and Phrases with knock up
Make pregnant, as in The young girl said she was afraid of getting knocked up. [Slang; early 1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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