knockout
noun
\
Definition of knockout
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a : the act of knocking out : the condition of being knocked out
b(1) : the termination of a boxing match when one boxer has been knocked down and is unable to rise and resume boxing within a specified time
(2) : technical knockout
c : a blow that knocks out an opponent
2 : a sensationally striking, appealing, or attractive person or thing
knockout
adjectiveDefinition of knockout (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : causing a knockout a knockout blow
2 : sensationally striking, appealing, or attractive a knockout dress
3 : having all or part of a gene eliminated or inactivated by genetic engineering knockout mice predisposed to diabetes mellitus
knock out
verbDefinition of knock out (Entry 3 of 3)
1 : to produce roughly or hastily
2a(1) : to defeat (a boxing opponent) by a knockout
(2) : to make unconscious the drug knocked him out
b : to make inoperative or useless electricity was knocked out by the storm
c : to get rid of : eliminate knocked out illegal gambling
3 : to tire out : exhaust knocked themselves out with work
4 : to cause (an opposing pitcher) to be removed from a baseball game by a batting rally
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for knockout
Synonyms: Noun
babe [slang], cutie (or cutey), dish, doll, dreamboat [slang], fox, glamour-puss, hottie, looker, showstopper, ten
Synonyms: Adjective
aesthetic (also esthetic), attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny (also bonnie) [chiefly British], comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, likely, lovely, lovesome, pretty, ravishing, seemly, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored
Synonyms: Verb
break, burn out, bust, do in, do up, drain, exhaust, fag, fatigue, frazzle, harass, kill, outwear, tire, tucker (out), wash out, wear, wear out, weary
Antonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Adjective
grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, uncute, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of knockout in a Sentence
Noun
He won the match by a knockout. He scored a knockout in the fourth round. She's a real knockout in that dress.Adjective
The Wimbledon tennis tournament is a knockout competition. a knockout sports car that's the talk of the neighborhoodVerb
the entire staff knocked itself out getting the project finished on time
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
There is a 31% chance that either Brazil or Germany -- both heavy favorites to win their first-round groups -- finish group runner-up, forcing a second-round knockout matchup between the two powers, according to Gracenote. — Motez Bishara, CNN, "World Cup: Data says Brazil and Germany in the cards for Russia 2018," 7 June 2018 But as the 2018 Russia group stage gave way to the knockout round gave way to that penalty kick win over Colombia (Penalty kicks! — Jason Gay, WSJ, "A Night on the Verge in London," 11 July 2018 The top two would advance to a knockout round of 32. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "2026 World Cup jointly hosted by U.S. will be weird, watered-down — and spectacular," 10 July 2018 Vitali, now mayor of Kiev, boxed professionally from 1996-2013, his fierce jab and aggressive punching the keys to a 45-2 record with 41 knockouts. — Houston Chronicle, "Vitali Klitschko honors brother in his Hall of Fame moment," 10 June 2018 Namajunas shocked then-top ranked Jedrzejczyk in November at UFC 217 via knockout to take hold of the strawweight crown. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee native Rose Namajunas retains strawweight title at UFC 223," 7 Apr. 2018 Croatia’s legs at the start seemed to carry the weight of so many minutes in the knockout stage, and a pressing England went up quickly. — Ronald Blum, BostonGlobe.com, "Croatia reaches first World Cup final," 11 July 2018 After breezing through group play, Croatia needed 120 minutes, then penalty kicks to beat both Denmark and Russia, making it just the second team to advance in a World Cup knockout stage on consecutive penalty-kick shootouts. — Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "How England and Croatia match up in the World Cup semifinal," 10 July 2018 The Belgians trailed by 2-0 against Japan, the only team from Asia to reach the knockout stage in this tournament of surprises, and looked almost certain to join the ranks of big-name casualties. — Tariq Panja, New York Times, "World Cup 2018: Belgium Shocks Japan With Stunning Rally," 4 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'knockout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for knockout
knockout
adjective
\
Medical Definition of knockout
: having all or part of a gene eliminated or inactivated by genetic engineering knockout mice predisposed to diabetes mellitus serve as animal models in the study of human diabetes
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on knockout
What made you want to look up knockout? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Difficult Vocab Quiz
-
- Which is a synonym of discomfit?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share knockout
Resources for knockout