English Reference
Idiom idiom

knock out of the box


To cause something to be replaced by something else.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

This new phone knocked the old one out of the box.

CONTEXTUAL

The streaming service knocked cable TV out of the box for most young families.

COMPLEX

In a single decade, digital photography had knocked film out of the box, leaving darkrooms abandoned and obsolete.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    box clever

    To act wisely.

  2. 02

    box oneself into a corner

    To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.

  3. 03

    box seat

    A favorable vantage point.

  4. 04

    box someone's ears

    To slap someone on the side of the head, usually as an informal punishment.

  5. 05

    box the compass

    To make a complete reversal in stance or opinion.

  6. 06

    come from a Cracker Jack box

    To obtain or retrieve something that is useless, cheap or fake.

  7. 07

    don't knock yourself out

    Don't overexert yourself (in doing something that does not require much effort).

  8. 08

    get one's shine box

    Used as an insult.

Last updated August 10, 2026