# down for the count

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/down-for-the-count
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Decisively beaten; defeated; rendered irrelevant for the long term.

## Examples

- The old computer is down for the count.
- He stays in bed because the flu has him down for the count.
- That old phone is down for the count after you dropped it.
- After the company lost its biggest client, many analysts thought the business was down for the count.
- The heavy rain flooded the engine, and now my car is down for the count until I can afford a mechanic.
- Our team was down for the count after the star player got injured in the first five minutes of the game.
- Following the sudden collapse of the national economy, the once-thriving local industry was effectively down for the count, leaving thousands of workers without a future.

## Origin

The idiom arises from the sport of boxing, referring to the moment a contestant is knocked to the canvas and remains unable to rise before the referee completes a count of ten. This specific tally signals the loss of the match, an outcome that transformed the technical observation of a physical collapse into a metaphor for finality.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.