knock out — eliminate from a competition
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To defeat someone so that they can no longer continue in a competition or tournament.
Say it like a native
Textbook Our team was eliminated from the tournament in the first round.
Native We got knocked out in the first round.
'Knock out' is the natural sports verb for being eliminated. 'Eliminated from the tournament' is commentary-formal.
Pattern: knock someone out (of something)
In use
- Our team was knocked out of the tournament in the semi-finals.sports
- If you lose in the early stages, you get knocked out and can't continue to the finals.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ They were knocked out from the cup.
✓ They were knocked out of the cup.
'Knocked out OF a competition', not 'from'.
Common collocations
knock out + of— of the cup, in the semis, early, the holders
Don't confuse it
'Knock out' means to remove someone from a competition, not just to beat them in one game.
Related
- knock out (make someone unconscious) — Another meaning of 'knock out' is 'make someone unconscious'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.