know of

know of (someone or something)

1. To be aware of someone or something. My car's been making a funny noise lately—do you know of a reputable mechanic I can take it to? A: "Have you gotten any strange phone calls recently?" B: "No, not that I know of. Why?"
2. To know who or what someone or something is without having direct contact or experience with them or it. A: "Do you know Margaret Fletcher?" B: "No, but I know of her. She teaches physics at Purdue, right?" A: "Are you familiar with cloud storage?" B: "I know of it, but I'm not totally sure how it works."
See also: know, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

know of someone or something

to be aware of the existence of someone or something. I think I know of someone who can help you. I didn't know of Wally's arrival.
See also: know, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • know of (someone or something)
  • bring (someone or something) into action
  • bring into action
  • in the dust
  • so much for
  • so much for (someone or something)
  • so much for sb/sth
  • believe (something) of (someone)
  • believe of
  • look under the hood
References in periodicals archive
First, he would be considered to have reason to know of M's income because he knew of the source or activity generating it (in fact, he helped M account for the income in prior years).
(Actual knowledge would be an extremely strong factor against granting equitable relief.) A does have reason to know of the income but this does not disqualify A's eligibility for relief (as with traditional relief), because it is only one negative factor to be considered along with all other factors.
Treatment of community income for spouses living apart
Dobson added, "When you know of some of the things that I know--that I probably shouldn't know--that take me in this direction, you'll know why I've said with fear and trepidation ...
Who did in Harriet Miers: opposition from Religious Right far right leaders fells Bush High Court nominee
The court rejected her primary argument, concluding she, in fact, did know of the omission (as she had signed the 1995 letter).
A taxpayer is deemed to have knowledge of an omission if a reasonably prudent person could be expected to know of it.
Innocent spouse provisions
'Do you know anyone who may be interested in what I have to offer?' 'Do you know of companies that would have an interest in my skill set?' 'Do you know any recruiters I can speak with?' 'Do you know anyone who knows lots of people?' (The latter question is a last resort, but can be useful because it helps you identify extraverts who may know just the people you would like to meet.) Notice that these questions avoid asking for jobs, because most people may not necessarily know of open positions.
Navigating the Job Search Superhighway. (Career Management)
"In this particular case, I just don't know of any nice geometric interpretation of what's going on," Odlyzko says.
Curves for a tighter fit: number theory provides a novel strategy for packing spheres efficiently
In the deposition Bantle testified that he didn't know of a statement by the National Cancer Advisory Board in February 1985 that "there is sufficient evidence for a cause-and-effect relationship between smokeless-tobacco use and human cancer.' He said that "I have not heard of' the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is funded by the World Health Organization, and which, in September 1985, found "sufficient evidence that oral use of snuff .
The artful dodgers
And I got this telephone call from the doctor, saying that his [blood] pressure had continued to drop, but they would keep giving him medicine to bring it back up, he said, "But we have given him the last thing that we know of," he said, "and if it drops this time, there's nothing more that we can do." So I knew when I went there that he was dying.
"Pulling in the natural environment": an interview with Pinkie Gordon Lane
* Deficiency cases, in which the requesting spouse did not know and had no reason to know of the item giving rise to the deficiency.
IRS further clarifies innocent spouse equitable relief
I don't know of an way to develop this sense except by developing a habit of regular quiet prayer."
Why can't we see God?
* The innocent spouse must establish that, in signing the return, he or she did not know of, and had no reason to know of, the omission.
Protecting innocent spouses
The requesting spouse established that at the time that the return was signed, he had no knowledge or reason to know of a tax understatement;
Defining the revised innocent-spouse provisions
He was unable to ask his master because his master "deemed all such inquiries on the part of a slave improper and impertinent, and evidence of a restless spirit." In fact, he continues, "the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant" (47).
Reading Mammy: the subject of relation in Sherley Anne Williams' 'Dessa Rose.' (Women's Culture Issue)
In Stevens, the Eleventh Circuit listed four criteria, based on numerous prior cases, to determine whether a spouse had reason to know of the substantial understatement: (1) level of education, (2) involvement in the family's finances, (3) presence of expenditures that appear lavish or unusual when compared to the family's past level of income, standard of living and spending patterns; and (4) the culpable spouse's evasiveness and deceit concerning the family finances.(16)
Innocent spouse relief: liberalization of the lack of knowledge requirement