KO

2 of 2

verb

KO'd kā-ˈōd How to pronounce KO (audio)
ˈkā-(ˌ)ōd
; KO'ing kā-ˈō-iŋ How to pronounce KO (audio)
ˈkā-(ˌ)ō-iŋ

transitive verb

: to knock out (as in boxing)

Examples of KO in a Sentence

Noun He scored a KO in the second round. Verb He was KO'd in the second round.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In fact, consistently beating the S&P 500 - in good times and bad - has been difficult over recent years for individual stocks; for heavyweights in the Consumer Staples sector including PG, COST, and KO, and even for the megacap stars GOOG, TSLA, and MSFT. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 In fact, consistently beating the S&P 500 - in good times and bad - has been difficult over recent years for individual stocks; for other heavyweights in the Consumer Staples sector including PG, COST, and KO, and even for the megacap stars GOOG, TSLA, and MSFT. Trefis Team, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 The incident prompted Coca-Cola’s KO +0.7% chief financial officer to publicly comment on the strength of the company’s alternate beverage lines, hoping to avoid a similar sell-off. Robert Goulder, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 The weekend consists of flying from the Nascar race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the evening before the 500-miler, competing in the race, and then flying back to Charlotte to run the 600-mile Coca-Cola KO +0.3% 600. Joseph Wolkin, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Image: Teenage Engineering From a music-making perspective, the KO II is much more capable than a Pocket Operator. David Pierce, The Verge, 22 Nov. 2023 The one blemish on Paul’s record is from his only bout against a boxer by trade — Tommy Fury (10-0, 4 KO), who beat Paul by split decision in February. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023 Nico Jara returned a KO for a TD and added his an interception as Steele Canyon (3-2) rolled. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023 Even so, Alabama had a puncher’s chance until Texas went beyond the KO punch and reached for the Crimson Tide’s pride. Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'KO.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

knock out

First Known Use

Noun

1911, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of KO was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near KO

Cite this Entry

“KO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/KO. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

KO

1 of 2 noun
(ˈ)kā-ˈō How to pronounce KO (audio)
ˈkā-ō
plural KO's
: a knockout in boxing

KO

2 of 2 verb
KO'd kā-ˈōd How to pronounce KO (audio)
ˈkā-ōd
; KO'ing -ˈō-iŋ How to pronounce KO (audio)
-ō-
: to knock out in boxing

More from Merriam-Webster on KO

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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