count out

verb

counted out; counting out; counts out

transitive verb

1
: to not include (someone) in an activity
If you are looking for people to help you clean the house today, count me out.
2
: to decide that (someone or something) cannot win or succeed
Don't count out our team just yet. They could still win.
3
: to count (a certain number of items to be separated from a quantity one is holding)
He counted out ten tickets and handed them to her.
4
: to signal the knockout of (a boxer who is down) by completing an audible count of 10 seconds before the boxer rises

Examples of count out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The call-taker counted out loud with them to help keep the chest compressions at a steady pace. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025 Like an old Western gunslinger, Costner has been counted out before — only to gallop back onto the screen, battered and bruised, riding toward the next horizon. Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025 Well, don’t count out the Dallas Cowboys just yet. Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025 Still, with a freshman taking snaps for BYU, an opportunistic CU defense cannot be counted out. Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for count out

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of count out was in 1854

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Cite this Entry

“Count out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/count%20out. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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