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Glite Dictionary
knocked-out

knocked-out

1 6.8
Damaged and worn so it no longer works well
  • adjective
  • /nɑkt aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : estropeado
  • windows knocked-out

And so all the Telegraph lines were knocked out.

Examples

  • Look, the electrical storm knocked-out my engine, I have no electricity and no radar.

    The Land That Time Forgot (2009)

  • However, because the radio had been knocked out in a storm, notice of this change was not communicated to Mayer.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The program began following Tropical Storm Irene, which ravaged the state and knocked out electrical power to hundreds of thousands in late August of last year.

    Blog text (26)

  • NEW YORK (AP) -- Superstorm Sandy knocked out a quarter of the cell towers in an area spreading across 10 states, and the situation could get worse, federal regulators said Tuesday.

    Blog text (26)

  • During the storm, many trees fell and knocked-out power in several neighborhoods.

  • The old computer is so knocked-out that it takes minutes to start up.

  • After heavy use, the engine became knocked-out and couldn't function properly.

Synonyms

beat-up
vsknocked-out
41 5.2

Damaged and worn from rough use over a long time

is about failure after heavy use or impact
beaten-up
vsknocked-out
23 4.7

Damaged and worn from being hit or used a lot

is used when something stops working after heavy use or impact
to smashed up
vsknocked-out
  • Informal
1 4.8

Become damaged or broken into pieces after a hard hit

is about being damaged or worn out rather than fully broken

Antonyms

operational
102 4.1

Working and ready to use, for example machines or systems

functional
81 3.2

Working correctly so it can be used

How Damaged

destroyed
2.8
knocked-out
  • Informal
1 6.8
broken
31 1.0
damaged
1 1.1
dented
2 1.8
intact
304 3.7

Surface Forms

knocked-out positive

Morphology

knocked-out = knock + out (semi-transparent) = knock + out + ed

Formed by adding -ed to the phrasal verb 'knock out' meaning 'to disable'; the derivation to 'damaged/worn out' is inferable but context-dependent.

Etymology

Knocked-out comes from the phrase knock out, where knock means 'to hit' and out suggests 'not working' or 'unconscious', like in boxing when someone is 'knocked out' and cannot continue. So, a 'knocked-out' fence or machine is one that has been hit or used so much that it is damaged and no longer works.