count out

British  

verb

1. informal to leave out; exclude

   count me out!

2. (of a boxing referee) to judge (a floored boxer) to have failed to recover within the specified time See count 1

3. to count (something) aloud

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count out Idioms  

1. Declare a boxer (or other contestant) to have lost, as in Paul was counted out in the first round . This term alludes to count in the sense of “ten seconds,” the time allowed for a boxer to rise after being knocked down (if he does not rise in time, he is “out”). The earliest recorded use of the term was for a cockfight in 1808; its use for boxing came about a century later. Also see down for the count .

2. Exclude, leave out of consideration, as in As for skiing this winter, you'll have to count me out . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s] Also see count in .

3. Apportion; also, recalculate. For example, They counted out four pieces of music for each band member , or When Peggy got her change she counted out all the pennies . [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

“It’ll all come down to the actual ship count out, and then, more importantly, to what Iran actually allows,” said Rory Johnston, founder of oil research firm Commodity Context.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

However, investors shouldn’t count out Costco forever, given the company’s strong same-store sales–evidence of its expanding market share–and the increasing popularity of warehouse clubs in general.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

One smart strategy is to count out six months of expenses and sock that away, then line up more to keep depositing into that account as time rolls forward.

From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026

But for Record and Song, don’t count out Grammy bestie Bruno Mars and Blackpink’s Rosé sneaking in for some hardware either.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

I count out half and leave it on the desk.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy