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Definition 2024


down_for_the_count

down for the count

English

Adjective

down for the count (not comparable)

  1. (idiomatic) Decisively beaten; defeated; rendered irrelevant for the long term.
    • 1912, Harold MacGrath, The Place of Honeymoons, ch. 7:
      “But what puts me down for the count is the action of the fellow. Never showed up; just made her miss two performances.”
    • 1991 Nov. 4, Allan Kozinn, "Despite Odds, Many of Them, A Bedeviled Orchestra Persists," New York Times (retrieved 9 May 2013):
      But every time the music world thought it was down for the count, the orchestra has managed to rise again.
    • 2002 March 11, "Veni, Vidi, Gucci," Time:
      So, while Europe is still groggy and the U.S. is just starting to show signs of a pulse (and Japan of course is still down for the count), little Korea will grow anywhere from 3.2% to 6% this year.

See also