as in wearing
to use up all the physical energy of
the entire staff knocked itself out getting the project finished on time
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Recent Examples of knocking out
Geekom is one of the most consistent companies in the micro PC market, reliably knocking out little rectangles packed with processing power at ultra-low prices.
—
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026
Police say that when the friend refused, Rosas punched him in the face, knocking out his tooth, and commandeered the car.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Lake Howell beat rival Oviedo, then the region’s top-seed, Mainland, before knocking out the 2025 region champ, Tocoi Creek, in an 82-77 double-overtime game.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Blizzard-like conditions whipped into Connecticut overnight Sunday into Monday, knocking out power to thousands of customers in the state, clogging roads, closing schools and generally creating other misery.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2026
From the flu to the common cold, viruses keep knocking out Minnesotans this winter.
—Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas extorted him for the money using physical violence – knocking out his teeth, injured his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.
—Sydney Pereira, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
In July 2024, an outage with cybersecurity company CrowdStrike plunged the country and beyond into chaos, knocking out services at airports, hospitals, grocery stores and more.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Microsoft’s Azure cloud network faced a major disruption Wednesday, knocking out access to popular platforms including Office 365, Minecraft, and Xbox Live.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026
Police say that when the friend refused, Rosas punched him in the face, knocking out his tooth, and commandeered the car.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Lake Howell beat rival Oviedo, then the region’s top-seed, Mainland, before knocking out the 2025 region champ, Tocoi Creek, in an 82-77 double-overtime game.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Blizzard-like conditions whipped into Connecticut overnight Sunday into Monday, knocking out power to thousands of customers in the state, clogging roads, closing schools and generally creating other misery.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2026
From the flu to the common cold, viruses keep knocking out Minnesotans this winter.
—Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas extorted him for the money using physical violence – knocking out his teeth, injured his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.
—Sydney Pereira, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
In July 2024, an outage with cybersecurity company CrowdStrike plunged the country and beyond into chaos, knocking out services at airports, hospitals, grocery stores and more.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Microsoft’s Azure cloud network faced a major disruption Wednesday, knocking out access to popular platforms including Office 365, Minecraft, and Xbox Live.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knocking out
Verb
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Other tips include riding defensively around cars, using front and rear lights, wearing reflective vests in the dark, and avoiding biking under the influence of drugs or alcohol.—
Sarah Raza,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Not if the other team comes out wearing Dallas sweaters.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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An unknown assailant shoots up the Vances' house during a Shabbat meal, before killing himself with a cyanide cigarette.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The measure passed, 363–117, killing the death penalty in France.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Consideration for a draft would only begin after exhausting troops on the ground with the country's active-duty military personnel, such as full-time professional military, including National Guard and Reserves, and any volunteers or enlistees who join after the war begins.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
25 Mar. 2026
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In addition to exhausting reporters and scrambling the news cycle, episodes like this have fueled speculation that people close to the president are feeding off the chaos.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This helps each step feel lighter and easier, diminishing fatigue and letting the wearer venture out farther without tiring.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Dec. 2025
-
This constant barrage overshadows the self-care experience, hijacking my focus and frankly, tiring me out.—
Caelan McMichael,
Allure,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The fire broke out for a short time before burning out by itself, police said, adding that no one was injured.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Families are aging, caregivers are burning out, and too many people are forced into crisis placements or inappropriate settings because suitable housing options simply do not exist.—
Fay Lenz,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Around 80% or lower means the battery is wearing out.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Will the novelty of an MLB franchise hosting home games in California’s capital for the first time fade in the A’s second season, wearing out like the pitcher’s mound in the eighth inning?—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Andrew Tate is not washing out.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Tiny water droplets can scatter light, washing out the vivid reds and oranges.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
No jumping back into draining obligations.—
Tiffany Aliche,
SELF,
30 Mar. 2026
-
When correctly implemented, first-time business owners can avoid many of the common time-draining processes.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knocking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knocking%20out. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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