Meaning trap
knock out
make someone unconscious
To hit someone so hard that they become unconscious, or to cause someone to become unconscious for a short time.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To hit someone so hard that they become unconscious, or to cause someone to become unconscious for a short time.
Another meaning of 'knock out' is 'eliminate from a competition'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The boxer knocked his opponent out in the second round.health
- During the match, one player was accidentally knocked out and had to be taken to the hospital for a check-up.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: knock someone out
WrongHe was knocked out unconscious.
RightHe was knocked out.
'Knock out' already means make unconscious — 'unconscious' is redundant.
Patternknock someone out
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Knock out' is the plain verb for being made unconscious. 'Rendered him unconscious' is formal.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
knock outcoldwith one punchin the ringthe anaesthetic
Don't confuse it
'Pass out' means to faint by yourself, while 'knock out' means someone or something made you unconscious.
Related
- knock out (eliminate from a competition) — Another meaning of 'knock out' is 'eliminate from a competition'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.