knock away

knock away

1. To continue striking (something) sharply and swiftly. The man knocked away, but no one stirred inside the house. I was kept awake by the sound of a tree branch knocking away at my bedroom window.
2. To cause someone or something to move swiftly away (from someone, something, or oneself) with a sharp strike or collision. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "knock" and "away." The police officer knocked away the gun before the criminal could reach it. The force of the impact knocked me away from the control panel.
See also: away, knock
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

knock away (at something)

to continue to knock at something. The loose shutter kept knocking away at the side of the house. It knocked away all night, keeping me awake.
See also: away, knock
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • knock at
  • knock at (something)
  • sit up with
  • sit up with (one)
  • bring (one) to (oneself)
  • bring one to oneself
  • bring to
  • irregular
  • keep (some kind of) hours
  • keep... hours
References in classic literature
One man, trying in his terror to escape the awful sight, stumbled against the coffin so heavily as to knock away one of its frail supports.
I believe it was good for him and for many others in like case, who had to learn by that loss that the soul of man cannot stand or lean upon any human prop, however strong, and wise, and good; but that He upon whom alone it can stand and lean will knock away all such props in His own wise and merciful way, until there is no ground or stay left but Himself, the Rock of Ages, upon whom alone a sure foundation for every soul of man is laid.
Ngadeu-Ngadjui toed wide at a corner but Cameroon struggled to truly threaten Nigeria in the closing stages with Ighalo denied a hat-trick late on as Onana plunged low to his right to knock away the forward's header.
You're always just one knock away of from being in that confidence zone and hopefully I'll maintain this kind of form throughout the tournament now," he added.
In a world where big-game hunting more often means pay to play, getting access to large swaths of land for coyote hunting is still often just a door knock away.
But Elliot Parish held well and launched a counter-attack that saw Eadie knock away from the dangerous Madianga.
"It's probably the first time in Joe's international career where he hasn't spent as much time at the crease, but he's one knock away from it clicking.
More than 2 million people from East Berlin visited West Berlin that weekend to participate in a celebration that was, one journalist wrote, 'the greatest street party in the history of the world.' People used hammers and picks to knock away chunks of the wall they became known as 'mauerspechte,' or 'wall woodpeckers' - while cranes and bulldozers pulled down section after section.
Sounding a bit like a treatment table nursery rhyme, his recent injuries include ligaments, ankles, knee and groin: Carroll is always one knock away from months on the sidelines and another problem with his ankle looks to have put an end to any move across London anyway.
Since there's little doubt the next wave of surgeons will help knock away the cliche of doctor disconnection, it's going to be important to consider that the incoming professionals have largely grown up without overt wariness about what they share of their lives on social media.
Queens carved out the first chance with a neat head flick from Iain Russell which Saints keeper Jamie Langfield did well to knock away before Derek Lyle lashed the loose ball into the side netting.
Goalkeeper Liam Castle managed to knock away the first but was not quick enough to keep out the second.
Voyes' dipping free-kick was pushed away by the over-worked keeper who also had to knock away a York effort as he was brilliantly put in by Grey.
I have been hitting the ball and I honestly feel that I am just one knock away from getting back into the zone.
Arsenal keeper Matt Macey could only knock away Connor Hunte's driven cross and Weeks pounced on the loose ball converting with a low shot from the edge of the box.