conk

¹

[ kongk, kawngk ]

verb (used with object)

1. to hit or strike on the head.

noun

1. a blow on the head.
2. the head.
3. British. the nose.

conk

²

[ kongk, kawngk ]

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 ).

conk

³

[ kongk, kawngk ]

noun

, Mycology.

1. the shelflike fruiting body of certain wood-decaying fungi; bracket fungus

conk

⁴

[ kongk, kawngk ]

noun

1. a method of chemically straightening the hair.
2. a hairstyle in which the hair has been chemically straightened and sometimes set into waves.

verb (used with object)

1. to straighten (kinky hair) by the use of chemicals:

   to have one's hair conked.

conk

/ kɒŋk /

verb

1. to strike (someone) a blow, esp on the head or nose

noun

1. a punch or blow, esp on the head or nose
2. the head or (esp Brit and NZ) the nose

Other Words From

• conky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conk¹

First recorded in 1805–15; of obscure origin

Origin of conk²

First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps imitative of the sound

Origin of conk³

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; of obscure origin

Origin of conk⁴

First recorded in 1940–45; probably shortening and alteration of congolene, alleged to be the name of a hair straightener made from Congo copal

Word History and Origins

Origin of conk¹

C19: probably changed from conch

Example Sentences

The food van that conked out at Del Rosario’s house was from Revolution Foods, one of the vendors in the city’s delivery program.

From Los Angeles Times

But my pacemaker battery was running low, and what if it conked out in the middle of an extraction?

From Los Angeles Times

The stairs abruptly ended in a solid wall of ice, a wall he plowed right into, smacking his head against it with a loud conk.

From Literature

I had to replace an air conditioner motor that just couldn’t keep up and conked out.

From Scientific American

It wasn’t until a week later that Shute realized how seriously her cognitive function had declined after her AC conked out.

From Los Angeles Times