Nearby Words
verb (used without object) Slang.
1.
to break or fail, as a machine or engine (often followed by out): The engine conked out halfway there.
2.
to slow down or stop; lose energy (often followed by out).
3.
to go to sleep (usually followed by off or out).
4.
to lose consciousness; faint (usually followed by out).
5.
to die (usually followed by out).
Origin:
1915–20; perhaps of imitative orig.
1915–20; perhaps of imitative orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Conk out
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| conk out | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (of machines, cars, etc) to fail suddenly |
| 2. | to tire suddenly or collapse, as from exhaustion |
| [C20: of uncertain origin] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
conk
as in conk out, 1918, coined by World War I airmen, perhaps in imitation of the sound of a stalling motor, reinforced by conk (v.) "hit on the head," originally "punch in the nose" (1821), from conk (n.), slang for "nose" (1812), perhaps from fancied resemblance to a conch (pronounced "conk") shell.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
conk definitionand konk
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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conk out definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
conk out
-
Stop functioning, fail, as in The engine finally conked out. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
-
Fall asleep, as in Every evening he conked out in front of the television set. [1940s]
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Faint or collapse, as in I don't know if it was the heat, but she suddenly conked out. [1920s]
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Die, as in He's paranoid about conking out and he's only twenty! [Late 1920s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com
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