knockout

[ nok-out ]
See synonyms for knockout on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an act or instance of knocking out.

  2. the state or fact of being knocked out.

  1. a knockout blow.

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

  3. 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.

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

adjective
  1. that knocks out: the knockout punch.

Origin of knockout

1
1810–20; 1935–40 for def. 4; noun, adj. use of verb phrase knock out

Words Nearby knockout

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use knockout in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for knockout

knockout

/ (ˈnɒkˌaʊt) /


noun
  1. the act of rendering unconscious

  2. a blow that renders an opponent unconscious

    • a competition in which competitors are eliminated progressively

    • (as modifier): a knockout contest

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

  2. informal a person or thing that is overwhelmingly impressive or attractive: she's a knockout

verbknock out (tr, adverb)
  1. to render unconscious, esp by a blow

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

  1. to destroy, damage, or injure badly

  2. to eliminate, esp in a knockout competition

  3. informal to overwhelm or amaze, esp with admiration or favourable reaction: I was knocked out by that new song

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with knockout

knockout

Also, knock out cold. Render unconscious by a blow or some other means. For example, It was just a swinging door, but it knocked her out, or Just one of those sleeping pills can knock you out cold. [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.