knockout

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noun knock·out \ ˈnäk-ˌau̇t \

Definition of knockout

1 a :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

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Recent Examples of knockout from the Web

Mayweather is a counterpuncher who has only seven knockouts in his last 27 fights.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: We're living in the age of hype," 25 Aug. 2017
More is earned from results bonuses and advancing through knockout rounds.

— graham dunbar, chicagotribune.com, "England eyes Champions League revival with 5 clubs in group stage," 23 Aug. 2017
But blaming the sport of boxing for this is shortsighted: There are a lot of great boxers, from the all-around brilliance of Andre Ward to the knockout power of Gennady Golovkin to the electricity of Roman Gonzalez.

— will leitch, Daily Intelligencer, "It Seems Like Sports Can’t Sink Much Lower Than Mayweather-McGregor. But Just Wait.," 23 July 2017
Zusi, along with Sporting teammate Matt Besler, also played during the early rounds of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and will remain with the national team through the knockout stages.

— maria torres, kansascity, "Dom Dwyer will join Graham Zusi as Sporting KC’s All-Star Game representatives," 18 July 2017
Coaches are allowed to make roster changes for the knockout rounds of the Gold Cup, and a handful of U.S. players have made a good case to stay.

— michelle kaufman, miamiherald, "Former USF star Dwyer impresses for U.S. team in Gold Cup," 15 July 2017
All of Khashakyan’s eight wins have come via knockout, while O’Malley owns four wins via striking stoppage, so the bout is bound to be an exciting one.

— staff reports, Glendale News-Press, "Sports Briefs: UFC shot a possibility for "Fearless" Fighter," 14 July 2017
In fact, Barrera quickly recovered from the setback against Ward with knockout victories over Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and Paul Parker.

— by santos a. perez, miamiherald, "Light-heavyweight Sullivan Barrera continues to be a star for HBO," 9 July 2017
The knockout round begins Wednesday at the FIBA Under 19 world championships in Egypt, with John Calipari's group of elite prospects and young college stars set to take on Mali in the Round of 16 after a 3-for-3 run through the prelims.

— gentry estes, The Courier-Journal, "Watch Live: Calipari's USA team in FIBA Round of 16," 5 July 2017

These 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.

First Known Use of knockout

1887

knockout Synonyms

Synonyms

babe [slang], beauty queen, cookie (or cooky), cutie (or cutey), dolly bird [British], enchantress, eyeful, fox, goddess, honey, beauty, queen, stunner

Antonyms

dog

Related Words

belle, charmer, peach; bathing beauty, cover girl, pinup girl; bimbette [slang], bunny, houri, sex kitten, sexpot, sex symbol; cutie-pie, dish, doll, dreamboat [slang], hottie, looker, pretty; coquette, femme fatale, siren, temptress, vamp

Near Antonyms

bag, dog, frump; crone, hag, horror, witch; gorgon, monster

knockout

adjective

Definition of knockout

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

See knockout defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of knockout

1818

knockout Synonyms

knock out

verb

Definition of knock out

transitive verb

1 :to produce roughly or hastily

2 a (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

See knock out defined for kids

Examples of knock out in a Sentence

the entire staff knocked itself out getting the project finished on time

First Known Use of knock out

1856

knock out Synonyms

Synonyms

break, burn out, bust, do in, do up, drain, fag, fatigue, frazzle, harass, kill, exhaust, outwear, tire, tucker (out), wash out, wear, wear out, weary

Related Words

debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, sap, waste, weaken

Near Antonyms

activate, energize, invigorate, rejuvenate, strengthen, vitalize; relax, rest, unwind

Medical Dictionary

knockout

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adjective knock·out \ ˈnäk-ˌau̇t \

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

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knockout

Definition of knockout

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knock out

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knockout

medical Definition of knockout

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