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

And don’t count out what got Microsoft here in the first place: its software.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Marva says certain assumptions can count out promising South Asian talent.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

But barring disaster — never count out the Dodgers’ bullpen — the team is guaranteed at least two more games at home this season.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2025

The kitchen staff used to painstakingly count out the exact right quantity of shrimp for the chain’s fajita platters.

From Slate • Aug. 11, 2025

We stand there, staring at each other, for what could be a full minute, though I don’t really know for sure, seeing as I’m too afraid to actually count out the seconds.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender