Meaning trap
knock down
hit and make fall
To hit someone or something so that they fall to the ground.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To hit someone or something so that they fall to the ground.
Another meaning of 'knock down' is 'demolish (a building or structure)'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
The cyclist was knocked down by a car but luckily wasn't badly hurt.
I once saw a child get knocked down by a stray football during a game at school.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: He was knocked down from a cyclist.
Say: He was knocked down by a cyclist.
Use 'by' for the agent — 'knocked down BY a car/cyclist'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Knock down' is the natural verb for being hit and felled. The formal version reads like a report.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
knock down
- by a car
- a pedestrian
- to the ground
- in the crash
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- knock down (demolish (a building or structure)) — Another meaning of 'knock down' is 'demolish (a building or structure)'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.