Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to knock the stuffing out of

to knock the stuffing out of

1 8.6
To make someone feel very tired, weak, or sad
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : dejar exhausto
  • The long meeting really knocked the stuffing out of me, and I felt exhausted afterward.
  • it just knocks the stuffing out of

How much life and society knocks the stuffing out of you to stop you and make you think you can't do it?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And that second goal has really knocked the stuffing out of the fans.

    Goal! (2005)

  • And I, you know, Alfie was trained like a pro and I think that also knocked the stuffing out of him a little bit because it was a job.

    Anything Goes With James English

  • But it sure knocked the stuffing out of me.

    Stunts (1977)

  • I'll knock the stuffing out of him.

    Street Scene (1931)

  • I knock the stuffing out of him till he cries.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I reckon you've knocked the stuffing out of them today.

    Invictus (2009)

  • Some Barnsley fans have suggested that defeat to Liverpool really knocked the stuffing out of us, and if we hadn't lost in the manner that we did, we may have gotten more points out of the final part of the season and stayed up.

    Blog text (6)

  • His constant criticism knocked the stuffing out of her confidence, making her doubt her abilities.

  • Training for the marathon will knock the stuffing out of even the most experienced runners.

Synonyms

to knock out
vsto knock the stuffing out of
  • NSFW
210 4.3

To make someone unconscious by a hit, illness, or being very tired

is similar but focuses more on exhaustion and discouragement than unconsciousness
to exhaust
vsto knock the stuffing out of
194 3.2

To make someone very tired

also causes deep weakness and disheartenment beyond mere energy loss
to get (someone) down
vsto knock the stuffing out of
  • Informal
87 4.2

To make someone feel sad or discouraged

includes heavy physical tiredness and weakness as well as emotional discouragement
to tucker
vsto knock the stuffing out of
  • Informal
8 9.4

To make someone very tired

also implies feeling weak and discouraged, not just tiredness
to tucker out
vsto knock the stuffing out of
  • Informal
7 7.7

To make someone very tired

adds a strong sense of being overwhelmed and emotionally low
to run (someone) ragged
vsto knock the stuffing out of
  • Informal
5 7.5

Make someone very tired by giving them too much work

stresses also causing emotional drain and loss of strength
to run ragged
vsto knock the stuffing out of
  • Informal
2 6.3

To make someone very tired by giving them too much to do

can also leave someone feeling beaten and emotionally drained
to knock flat
vsto knock the stuffing out of
1 7.4

To surprise someone very much so they cannot react

is more about prolonged tiredness and feeling emotionally low rather than sudden stun
to knock into the middle of next week
vsto knock the stuffing out of
  • Informal
9.9

To hit or shock someone so they feel dazed

is less about physical impact and more about wearing someone down emotionally and physically

Antonyms

to energize
  • US
65 3.7

To make someone feel more active and alert

to revitalize
  • US
45 4.8

To give new life and energy to something

How Exhausting

to knock the stuffing out of
  • Informal
1 8.6
to overwhelm
88 3.9
to wear out
19 2.7
to drain
189 3.4
to tire
23 1.0

Surface Forms

knock the stuffing out of infinitive
knocked the stuffing out of past
knocked the stuffing out of past participle
knocking the stuffing out of present participle
knocks the stuffing out of third person singular

Morphology

knock + the + stuffing + out + of

The literal parts ('knock' = strike, 'out of' = remove, 'stuffing' = filling) create a vivid physical image of removing someone's inner filling, so a learner could infer a sense of severely affecting or defeating someone. However, the mapping from 'stuffing' to 'energy/strength' is metaphorical and not a standard compositional meaning, so the exact sense (exhaust, overwhelm, or demoralize) is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Knock the stuffing out of comes from the picture of hitting a stuffed pillow or toy so the soft stuffing falls 'out of' it and the object is left flat and empty. That's why the phrase means to leave someone feeling very tired, weak, or 'down'.