knockout

American  

[nok-aut] / 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

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Etymology

Origin of knockout

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

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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

Bass, meanwhile, needed to deliver a knockout punch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Nomura reckons the industry has entered the knockout stage this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

England have been eliminated every time they have faced a top-10 ranked nation in the knockout stages of the World Cup since 1998 - seven times out of seven.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

To investigate whether Menin loss could actually contribute to aging, rather than simply accompany it, the researchers created conditional knockout mice.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

The knockout possibilities knock Dorcas out because here—with grown-ups and as in war—people play for keeps.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

Since fighting his first professional match in 2020, Vargas Jr. himself has built a steady record in the ring with 15 knockouts in 17 wins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

Additionally, England and France were put in opposite sides of the knockouts and on a path to meet either Spain or Argentina in the semi-finals if they all progressed.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

In the knockouts, some of the European nations have also impressed when dealing with adversity.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Grandma hugged Zed and then Zed hugged Joey, and bam, faster than one of Joey’s knockouts, Zed had weaseled himself into becoming part of Joey’s family.

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

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Related Words

• technical knockout

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