Gaming
down-but-not-out
What does down-but-not-out mean?
The incapacitated near-death state you enter instead of dying outright in team battle royales. You're on the floor, crawling, bleeding out — a teammate can still revive you. Universally shortened to DBNO.
"Two of them are DBNO — finish the knocks before their res timer."
Origin
Acronym DBNO popularised by PUBG and Fortnite for the downed-but-revivable mechanic in squad modes.
Frequently asked questions
What does down-but-not-out mean in games?
It's the revivable bleed-out state in squad battle royales, abbreviated DBNO — you're knocked down but a teammate can still revive you.
How do you use down-but-not-out in a sentence?
"I'm down-but-not-out behind the rock, come res me before I bleed out."
What does DBNO stand for?
DBNO stands for "down but not out," the knocked-but-revivable state in squad-based battle royale games.
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