"knock someone out of time" describes to beat someone to the point where they are stunned and unable to fight back. Heard in rap lyrics, drill music, video-game chat or street-style social media, it is more often quoted than acted on. What matters is context: are they repeating a song line, or are they describing specific people, places and plans? If the language pairs with secrecy, sudden new friends, or worry about someone they know, that is the cue for a calm direct conversation, ideally before involving anyone else.
knock someone out of time
(slang, dated, mostly, boxing) To beat someone to the point where they are stunned and unable to fight back.
Definitions
Global
#1·Apr 27, 2026Global
(slang, dated, mostly, boxing) To beat someone to the point where they are stunned and unable to fight back.
For parents
"knock someone out of time" describes to beat someone to the point where they are stunned and unable to fight back. Heard in rap lyrics, drill music, video-game chat or street-style social media, it is more often quoted than acted on. What matters is context: are they repeating a song line, or are they describing specific people, places and plans? If the language pairs with secrecy, sudden new friends, or worry about someone they know, that is the cue for a calm direct conversation, ideally before involving anyone else.
For ESL learners
"knock someone out of time" is informal English meaning to beat someone to the point where they are stunned and unable to fight back. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "to beat someone to the point where they are stunned and unable to fight back" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "knock someone out of time" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.
Cluster: fight
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "knock someone out of time" (K)
knock on woodknock outknockoutknockout dropknock overknock someone into the middle of next weekknock someone's block offknock the persimmonknock underknock upknottleknow-all
Browse all slang words starting with K.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- knock out80%
To strike or render unconscious.
- knockout76%
The act of making one unconscious, or at least unable to come back on one's feet within a certain period of time; a TKO.
- knock one out74%
(slang, vulgar) To masturbate.
- punch out72%
(transitive) To hit a person so that they become unconscious (knocked out).
- knock someone into the middle of next week72%
(slang, idiomatic) To thoroughly beat or trounce someone.