down for the count

Meanings

adjectivedown for the count (not comparable)

idiomaticnot comparableDecisively beaten; defeated; rendered irrelevant for the long term.
As the company grew, one after another of its smaller competitors ended up down for the count.
3 more examples
“But what puts me down for the count is the action of the fellow. Never showed up; just made her miss two performances.”
1912, Harold MacGrath, chapter 7, in The Place of Honeymoons
But every time the music world thought it was down for the count, the orchestra has managed to rise again.
1991 November 4, Allan Kozinn, “Despite Odds, Many of Them, A Bedeviled Orchestra Persists”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2022
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.
2002 March 11, “Veni, Vidi, Gucci”, in TIME, archived from the original on 11 May 2013
figurativelynot comparableSoundly unconscious, either because asleep or because otherwise knocked out.
A: Look at him, he's out like a light! B: Yeah, he had a long day! And now he's down for the count.
Synonyms: out cold
not comparableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see down, for, the, count: lying upon the mat of a boxing ring while the referee counts the fighter out.
Liston was down for the count more than once before rising up to regain command of the fight.

adjectiveSoundly unconscious, either because asleep or because otherwise knocked out.

Similar

Also see

The figurative senses are extended from the literal one.

Cite this entry

APA

down for the count. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20for%20the%20count

MLA

“down for the count.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20for%20the%20count. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “down for the count,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down%20for%20the%20count.