Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [nok on, awn woo d]
- /nɒk ɒn, ɔn wʊd/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [nok on, awn woo d]
- /nɒk ɒn, ɔn wʊd/
Definitions of knock on wood words
- noun knock on wood the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark; the xylem. 1
- noun knock on wood the trunks or main stems of trees as suitable for architectural and other purposes; timber or lumber. 1
- noun knock on wood firewood. 1
- noun knock on wood the cask, barrel, or keg, as distinguished from the bottle: aged in the wood. 1
- noun knock on wood woodblock (def 1). 1
- noun knock on wood Music. a woodwind instrument. the section of a band or orchestra composed of woodwinds. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of knock on wood
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English; Old English wudu, earlier widu; cognate with Old Norse vithr, Old High German witu, Old Irish fid
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Knock on wood
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
knock on wood popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
knock on wood usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for knock on wood
verb knock on wood
- count on — If you count on something or count upon it, you expect it to happen and include it in your plans.
- hold — to have or keep in the hand; keep fast; grasp: She held the purse in her right hand. He held the child's hand in his.
- assume — If you assume that something is true, you imagine that it is true, sometimes wrongly.
- wish — to want; desire; long for (usually followed by an infinitive or a clause): I wish to travel. I wish that it were morning.
- anticipate — If you anticipate an event, you realize in advance that it may happen and you are prepared for it.
Antonyms for knock on wood
verb knock on wood
- disbelieve — to have no belief in; refuse or reject belief in: to disbelieve reports of UFO sightings.
- distrust — to regard with doubt or suspicion; have no trust in.
- doubt — to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe.
- forsake — to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert: She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific.
- despair — Despair is the feeling that everything is wrong and that nothing will improve.
See also
Matching words
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