1. Home
2. Idioms
3. knock out

knock out

---

---

knock someone out

 

1. Lit. to knock someone unconscious. (Someone includes oneself.) Fred knocked Mike out and left him there in the gutter. Fred knocked out Mike.

2. Fig. to make someone unconsciousness. The drug knocked her out quickly. The powerful medicine knocked out the patient.

3. Fig. to surprise or please someone. I have some news that will really knock you out.

4. Fig. to wear someone out; to exhaust someone. All that exercise really knocked me out. The day's activities knocked the kids out and they went right to bed.

See also: knock, out

knock something out

 

1. to create something hastily. He knocked a few out as samples. He knocked out a few of them quickly, just so we could see what they were going to look like.

2. Fig. to put something out of order; to make something inoperable. The storm knocked the telephone system out. The high winds will probably knock out electrical service all over town.

See also: knock, out

knock somebody out

also knock out somebody

1. to hit someone so that they become unconscious His fall from the ladder knocked him out.

2. to cause someone to go to sleep I didn't realize those pills would knock me out.

3. to remove someone from a competition A loss in today's game will knock us out of the playoffs.

See also: knock, out

knock somebody/yourself out

to make someone very tired Pat has really knocked herself out cooking this dinner. All that shopping has knocked me out!

See also: knock, out

knock something out

also knock out something

1. to destroy something Enemy aircraft have knocked out 25 tanks.

2. to cause something to stop working The lightning knocked out our electricity.

See also: knock, out

knock out

1. 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]

2. Make tired, exhaust, as in That sightseeing tour knocked me out.

3. Render useless or inoperative, as in The storm knocked out the power.

4. See knock off, def. 2.

5. See knock oneself out.

See also: knock, out

knock out

v.

1. To hit something abruptly and cause it to move beyond a border: The batter knocked the baseball out of the stadium. I removed the filter and knocked out the dust.

2. To cause someone to be eliminated from some competition: An engine malfunction knocked the car out of the race. We knocked out last year's champions in the quarterfinals.

3. To render someone unconscious: The thief knocked the guards out before they could call for help. Those sleeping pills could knock out a horse! I banged my head on the car door and knocked myself out.

4. To defeat someone in boxing with a punch from which he or she cannot recover: The new champion has knocked out the last three opponents. The boxer knocked the opponent out in the first round.

5. To render something useless, inoperative, or ineffective: The storm knocked the phone lines out across the state. High winds knocked out the power to all the homes in the valley.

6. To exert or exhaust someone thoroughly in order to accomplish something. Used reflexively: She always knocks herself out to be ready on time. Try to clean the house for the party, but don't knock yourself out.

7. To produce something in abundance: The workers knocked out 500 parts in an hour. We used to make the parts by hand, but the machine can knock them out much faster.

8. Slang To impress someone greatly: Your new poems knock me out!

See also: knock, out