down but not out
1
6.2
- idiom
:
caído pero no derrotado
- Update 11:33 am: Beaten down but not out
Examples
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The Communists, meanwhile, are down but not out, and form pockets of resistance throughout the country.
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Lelz was down, but not out.
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She goes down but not out as two guards grab her.
Fiction book (1997) -
Despite their recent defeats, the team is down but not out and hopes for a comeback in the next match.
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After a tough year, she is down but not out and is determined to achieve her goals.
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The country is facing many challenges, but the citizens are down but not out, ready to fight for change.
Synonyms
15
7.7
Very close to failure or defeat with little chance to recover
3
6.3
Not stopping because of problems or failures
Antonyms
How Defeated
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall meaning is largely built from the constituent parts: 'down' (experiencing a setback), the contrastive 'but', and 'not out' (not defeated), so a learner who knows those words can infer 'still able to recover.' However, the phrase is a conventionalized, metaphorical idiom (from boxing) and carries pragmatic nuance about resilience that may not be fully predictable without prior exposure, making it only partially transparent.
Etymology
Down but not out comes from boxing. If a boxer is down, lying on the floor, but not out, still able to stand, he can get up and keep fighting, and that's why the phrase now means 'still able to recover' or 'not defeated'.