Knockout Meaning
/ˈnɒk.aʊt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe act of making one unconscious, or at least unable to come back on one's feet within a certain period of time; a TKO.
nounThe deactivation of anything.
Sentence Examples
He won the fight by a knockout.
Ten minutes after the knockout, the boxer regained consciousness.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The experienced boxer delivered a powerful right ____ to his opponent's chin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The boxer won the match with a dramatic ____ in the final round, much to the surprise of the crowd.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English knock outdeverb. English knockout Deverbal from knock out.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Pull the plug on a node to see how the network handles a node knockout."
— 1989 February 6, Network World, page 82:
"“There’s a girl wants to see you. Her name’s Wonderly.” “A customer?” “I guess so. You’ll want to see her anyway: she’s a knockout.”"
— 1930, Dashiell Hammet, The Maltese Falcon, New York, N.Y.; London: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC, page 3:
""You’re asking too many questions. Look. You’re a cute kid. I mean, you’re a hell of a chick. You’re a knockout. But don’t go thinking you’re too important at this stage.""
— 1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, New York: Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 183:
"Phrases such as "she bowled me over," "she's striking," and "she's a knockout" suggest that the woman affects the man in ways he cannot mediate or control."
— 1995, Rhonda K. Reinholtz, “Sexual Discourse and Sexual Intercourse”, in P. J. Kalbfleisch, M. J. Cody, editors, Gender, Power, and Communications in Human Relationships, Routledge, →ISBN, page 150:
"She was the "bikini-babe", "Sarkozette" stunna who never was. Paris was baffled this week when some of the British media began drooling over an old beach photograph of a former newsreader, Christine Kelly, whom they announced as Sarkozy's latest cabinet appointment—or rather "knockout lovely" or "oh yes, minister!"."
— 2009 March 28, Angelique Chrisafis, “The mystery of the bikini-clad minister”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The experienced boxer delivered a powerful right ____ to his opponent's chin.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The boxer won the match with a dramatic ____ in the final round, much to the surprise of the crowd.