- To do something exceptionally well; to achieve outstanding success, far exceeding expectations.
Explanation
Origin
- Comes from baseball, where hitting a home run out of the park (i.e., over the fences/stands) is a significant and impressive achievement.
- The phrase transitioned into general use to describe any outstanding success. Popularized in the mid-to-late 20th century.
Synonyms & Related Expressions
Alternatives
Slang/Informal:
- Killed it
- Smashed it (UK/Aus)
- Owned it
- Dominated
- That was epic
Vulgar/Emphatic:
- Fucking killed it!
- Blew it out of the water! (Strongly exceeded competition/expectations)
Milder/More Formal:
- Achieved outstanding results.
- Delivered an exceptional performance.
- Far surpassed the objectives.
- Performed brilliantly.
Situational Appropriateness
- Generally informal to semi-formal. Common in business settings when praising strong performance, but the sports metaphor makes it less suitable for very formal or solemn occasions.
Misunderstanding Warnings
- Less prone to misunderstanding than some idioms, as the positive context is usually clear. Someone unfamiliar with baseball might not grasp the origin but will likely understand the positive meaning from context.
Examples
- Her presentation wasn't just good, she knocked it out of the park.
- The chef really knocked it out of the park with that dessert.
- They were hoping for good sales, but they knocked it out of the park in the first quarter.
Dialogue
Sarah: Did you hear how the fundraising event went?
Mike: Yeah, I heard they were hoping to raise $10,000.
Sarah: They raised over $30,000!
Mike: Wow! They really knocked it out of the park!
Social Media Examples
- Tweet: Big congrats to the dev team on the new app release! You guys knocked it out of the park! 🚀 #Tech #Success #Teamwork
- LinkedIn Post: Our Q3 results are in, and the sales team knocked it out of the park! So proud of their hard work. #Sales #Achievement #BusinessGrowth
- Comment: Saw your performance last night you knocked it out of the park! Amazing talent!
Response Patterns
When someone says you Knocked it out of the park:
- Wow, thank you so much!
- Glad you think so! I worked hard on it.
- Aw, thanks! That means a lot.
When someone describes a third party's success:
- That's amazing!
- Good for them!
- I heard it was incredible.
Common Follow-up Questions/Actions
After hearing someone Knocked it out of the park:
- Express admiration: That's seriously impressive.
- Ask for details: What did they do exactly? or What was the result?
- Offer congratulations (if appropriate): Tell them congrats from me!
Conversation Starter
- No. Used to describe a specific achievement.
Intonation
- Emphasis typically falls on KNOCKED and PARK.
- Spoken with enthusiasm and admiration. She really KNOCKED it out of the PARK!
Generation Differences
- Widely understood across generations, particularly in North America due to baseball's cultural relevance. Older generations might use it more readily than the very youngest, who might prefer newer slang like killed it or lit.
Regional Variations
- Most common and instantly understood in North America (US/Canada).
- Understood in other English-speaking regions, but perhaps used less frequently than in the US. Other sports metaphors might be more common elsewhere (e.g., from cricket in the UK/Australia).