knockout
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a hit that makes a fighter unconscious or unable to continue the fight.
n.the act of rendering an opponent unconscious or unable to resume a contest within a specified time limit.
Simple“The champion won the match with a powerful knockout in the third round.”
In context“The referee stopped the bout immediately after the knockout, ensuring the medical team could attend to the fallen fighter without delay.”
SynonymsKOstoppage - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a competition where a player or team is removed after losing one game.
n.a tournament format in which the loser of each match is immediately eliminated from the competition.
Simple“Our local team was eliminated in the first round of the knockout.”
In context“The knockout stages of the tournament often produce more dramatic results because there is no margin for error in a single-elimination format.”
SynonymsAntonymsround robin - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.someone who is extremely attractive or beautiful.
n.an exceptionally attractive or impressive person, often used to describe a woman.
Simple“Everyone turned to look when she walked in; she was a total knockout.”
In context“The lead actress was a complete knockout, though critics argued that her performance lacked the depth required for such a complex role.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.the process of turning off a specific gene in a living thing for science.
n.the genetic engineering technique of deactivating a specific gene to observe the resulting phenotypic changes.
Simple“The scientists used a gene knockout to study how the heart develops.”
In context“By creating a knockout mouse, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the specific protein was essential for long-term memory formation.”
Synonymsdeactivationinactivation - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.extremely impressive, beautiful, or successful.
adj.strikingly attractive or impressive; having a powerful effect.
Simple“She wore a knockout dress to the awards ceremony.”
In context“The marketing team delivered a knockout presentation that secured the contract despite stiff competition from larger agencies.”
Synonyms
“After a headline-snatching first senior century on Tuesday , the 18-year-old's One-Day Cup drew to a close with 22 in Lancashire's defeat by Durham in the knockout stage on Friday.”
“Chelsea’s vice-captain popped up with crucial late goals for Argentina in the knockout stages, including a winning header against Egypt and the equaliser against England.”
Deverbal from knock out.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.