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KO

6 5.3
A blow that knocks the other fighter unconscious and ends the match
  • noun
  • /keɪ oʊ/
translation icon : nocaut
  • Tom Lawlor has been able to save his UFC career with his recent KO of Jason McDonald.
  • KO punch
  • KO in the round
  • first KO

I, I've, I've, I've said second round KO, second round we're looking at.

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Examples

  • If you haven't seen Banks' KO of Travis Walker, do so before you bet on this fight.

    Blog text (5)
  • Every fight has one or maybe two opportunities to land the KO punch, and Romney clearly missed it tonight.

    Blog text (33)
  • Eight points or KO, body shots are one point, and head shots are two points.

  • Matches are to eight points or KO.

  • I do not blame any fighter for trying to change his training methods after a KO loss.

    Blog text (26)
  • Holds all the records, including the fastest KO.

  • Round 3: Great cornering for Siler, as they tell him he needs the KO to win this fight.

    Blog text (21)
  • Now the secret is out, I reckon we will see more of Spencer's awesome KO power in future fights.

    Blog text (24)
  • Tonight we may have seen ring history in the making, in the form of the young welterweight Rodriguez and his impressive KO over the experienced campaigner Gordon.

  • The boxer celebrated his victory after delivering a powerful KO in the final round.

Synonyms

knockout
vsKO
39 3.9

A punch that makes someone unconscious and unable to continue

is the term for a blow that causes immediate victory in combat sports
3 3.6

A hit that makes the other fighter unable to continue, often ending the match

is the broader term for any blow that causes immediate victory
kayo
vsKO
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A single punch that knocks an opponent unconscious

is the same general term for a fight ending unconsciousing blow
KO punch
vsKO
1 5.8

A hard punch that knocks an opponent out so they cannot continue

is the general label for a blow that knocks someone unconscious to win

Antonyms

439 1.4

The event when you stop having someone or something important

Compounds

1 5.8

A hard punch that knocks an opponent out so they cannot continue

ling ko
  • Indian
9.9

A plant like a water chestnut whose spiny fruit has two prongs

How Decisive

KO
6 5.3
TKO
  • Jargon
5 8.0
decision
270 1.0

Surface Forms

KO singular
KOs plural

Morphology

KO = knockout (semi-transparent) = K + O

KO is a conventional initialism that directly represents 'knockout' in sports contexts. [Postprocessing: changed transparency from 'transparent' to 'semi-transparent' for abbreviation]

Etymology

KO comes from the phrase knock out, where knock means 'to hit' and out means 'no longer in the fight'. So a KO is a hit that makes an opponent unconscious and ends the match.