1 A2 neutral
To cause someone to lose consciousness with a blow or blow-like force.
"The punch landed squarely on his jaw and knocked him out cold."
separable
knock out
A2 neutral separable transitive
To cause someone to become unconscious, to eliminate from a competition, to impress greatly, or to produce something quickly.
In plain English
To make someone fall unconscious, to beat someone in a competition so they can't continue, or to make something fast.
What does "knock out" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 idiomatic neutral
To eliminate a competitor or team from a tournament or competition.
"Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by a team no one had expected to win."
separable
3 B1 idiomatic informal
To impress or astonish someone greatly.
"Her debut novel completely knocked me out — I couldn't put it down."
separable
4 B1 idiomatic informal
To produce something quickly and with ease.
"He knocked out the report in forty minutes and had the rest of the afternoon free."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To knock someone outside the bounds of consciousness or competition.
Actually means
To make someone fall unconscious, to beat someone in a competition so they can't continue, or to make something fast.
Usage tip
Extremely versatile. Key senses: (1) boxing — rendering an opponent unconscious; (2) competition — eliminating a team or player; (3) informal — to impress someone enormously; (4) informal — to produce something quickly. The adjective 'knockout' (a knockout performance) is very common. All registers from neutral to informal.
Words that pair with "knock out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
opponent champion team competition performance quickly drugs
How to conjugate "knock out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
knock out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
knocks out
he/she/it
Past simple
knocked out
yesterday
Past participle
knocked out
have + pp
-ing form
knocking out
continuous
Hear "knock out" in the wild
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Other ways to say "knock out"
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Keep exploring
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