What does "knockabout" mean?
Clothing suitable for rough use.
Knockabout
/ˈnɒk.əˌbaʊt/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Clothing suitable for rough use.
- Grammar: knockabout is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: boat, boisterous, galleon, harum scarum.
- Usage evidence: I like the way Ana Sophia Scheller — replacing the injured Ashley Bouder — doesn’t exaggerate the ballet’s second lead woman, but Ms. Bouder’s blend of knockabout comedy and physical brilliance is missed.
How to use "knockabout"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "knockabout" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "knockabout" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "knockabout" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "knockabout" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "knockabout" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "boat" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "knockabout", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Clothing suitable for rough use.
- 2 a sloop with a simplified rig and no bowsprit wordnet
- 3 A worker habitually engaged in casual employment.
"We'd had a couple of knockabouts to help with the cooking and stockyard work. They were paid by the job. They were to stay at the camp for a week, to burn the gunyahs, knock down the yard, and blind the track as much as they could."
- 4 A person living in rough, violent conditions.
"They denounced the peasant's passions as animal lusts and complained that vagabonds and knockabouts were "generally given to horrible uncleanness. They have not particular w1ves, neither do they range themselves into families, but consort together as beasts."
- 5 A tumbler.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A slapstick comedian or comedy.
- 7 A small sailboat lacking a bowsprit, of a type found primarily in the Massachusetts area.
"We sailed our knockabout around Cape Cod."
- 8 An act of playing a sport casually or informally. informal
"The kids had a knockabout with a football in the backyard."
Adjective
- 1 Boisterous not-comparable
"I like the way Ana Sophia Scheller — replacing the injured Ashley Bouder — doesn’t exaggerate the ballet’s second lead woman, but Ms. Bouder’s blend of knockabout comedy and physical brilliance is missed."
- 2 Suitable for rough use. not-comparable
"I have a knockabout cello for non-concert gigs."
Adjective
- 1 suitable for rough use wordnet
- 2 full of rough and exuberant animal spirits wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I like the way Ana Sophia Scheller — replacing the injured Ashley Bouder — doesn’t exaggerate the ballet’s second lead woman, but Ms. Bouder’s blend of knockabout comedy and physical brilliance is missed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "knockabout"?
Common synonyms include: boat, boisterous, galleon, harum scarum, junk, knock-down-and-drag-out.
How do you use "knockabout" in a sentence?
I like the way Ana Sophia Scheller — replacing the injured Ashley Bouder — doesn’t exaggerate the ballet’s second lead woman, but Ms. Bouder’s blend of knockabout comedy and physical brilliance is missed.
How do you pronounce "knockabout"?
Pronounced /ˈnɒk.əˌbaʊt/.
Etymology
Deverbal from knock about.