knock the wind out of (someone)

idiom

: to knock the air out of a person's lungs and make him or her unable to breathe normally for a brief time
The fall knocked the wind out of me.

Examples of knock the wind out of (someone) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Did your electric bill from January knock the wind out of you? Erin Mansfield, The Enquirer, 18 Feb. 2024 Grief is a daily stomach punch, and the holidays can especially knock the wind out of you. Alex Zaragoza, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2023 And, as with any family, there are the moments that knock the wind out of you. Danielle Pergament, Allure, 14 Dec. 2023 IndieWire published a bombshell piece of investigative journalism on July 27 that may just knock the wind out of you. Bella Arnold, Vulture, 27 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knock the wind out of (someone).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Knock the wind out of (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knock%20the%20wind%20out%20of%20%28someone%29. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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