knockout

American  

[nok-out] / ˈnɒkˌaʊt /

noun

knockouts plural

1. an act or instance of knocking out.

2. the state or fact of being knocked out.

3. a knockout blow.

4. Informal. a person or thing overwhelmingly attractive, appealing, or successful.

5. a panel in a casing, can, or box, especially of metal or plastic, so designed that it can readily be removed, as by punching, hammering, or cutting, to provide an opening into the interior.

   a knockout in a junction box.

6. Machinery. a device for knocking something loose, as finished work from a lathe chuck.

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adjective

1. that knocks out.

   the knockout punch.

knockout British  

/ ˈnɒkˌaʊt /

noun

1. the act of rendering unconscious

2. a blow that renders an opponent unconscious

3. 1. a competition in which competitors are eliminated progressively

   2. ( as modifier )

      a knockout contest

4. a series of absurd invented games, esp obstacle races, involving physical effort or skill

5. informal a person or thing that is overwhelmingly impressive or attractive

   she's a knockout

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verb

1. to render unconscious, esp by a blow

2. boxing to defeat (an opponent) by a knockout

3. to destroy, damage, or injure badly

4. to eliminate, esp in a knockout competition

5. informal to overwhelm or amaze, esp with admiration or favourable reaction

   I was knocked out by that new song

6. to remove the ashes from (one's pipe) by tapping

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• knockouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of knockout

1810–20; 1935–40 knockout for def. 4; noun, adj. use of verb phrase knock out

Explanation

In the sport of boxing, a knockout is a blow that sends one of the boxers to the mat, unable to continue fighting. If you are down and can't rise before the ref counts to ten, consider it a knockout. In full-contact fighting sports, including boxing, karate, and kickboxing, the ultimate goal is a match-winning knockout of the opponent. Not all boxing matches end this way, but a knockout is the most exciting (and dangerous) way for a match to end. This word is also used to mean "gorgeous person," so if someone tells you you're a knockout, you can be sure they mean it as a compliment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

knockout knockouts

Bellingham is the first player to score at least two goals in consecutive World Cup knockout matches since Diego Maradona in 1986.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

World football's governing body said it wanted to ensure the four top-ranked countries could not meet earlier in the knockout rounds, thus potentially saving blockbuster games for later in the tournament.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

In the round of 32, they were tied deep into extra time with Cape Verde—the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup’s knockout stage—before an own goal let Argentina escape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Bellingham is the first player to score two or more goals in consecutive knockout stage games at a single World Cup since Maradona's great tournament in 1986.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Probably a knockdown or a knockout, he thought; maybe the brash kid had made good his boast.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers

Haaland's scoring is evenly spread, with four goals in the group stage and three in the knockouts.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

This is uncharted territory for both nations, who have previously never reached the knockouts.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

The Tartan Army were the best of it, a travelling support that tried to lift the team up and carry them into the knockouts.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The Blue Sharks showed their class again on the game's biggest stage on Sunday by holding two-time winners Uruguay, and are in serious contention for a place in the knockouts.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Louis had battled his way through twenty-seven professional matches with twenty-three knockouts and no defeats to reach his current status as the number one challenger in the world.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• technical knockout