conk out
Britishverb
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(of machines, cars, etc) to fail suddenly
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to tire suddenly or collapse, as from exhaustion
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Stop functioning, fail, as in The engine finally conked out . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
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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]
Etymology
Origin of conk out
C20: of uncertain origin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It could be the cells in the body reach a critical number of mutations and then conk out.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2022
John has insomnia, but before I conk out at 1 a.m. we’ll also watch a little “House Hunters” on HGTV, which acts as the ideal narcotic.
From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2020
The Frames battery has never really made it through the day — they conk out after three hours of constant music streaming at 60 percent volume.
From Washington Post • Aug. 4, 2020
Apple won’t say how many months of use or charge cycles AirPod batteries can withstand, but some owners have reported they conk out as soon as 18 months.
From Seattle Times • May 17, 2019
“Uh, Shay, you’re pretty sure our boards aren’t suddenly going to conk out, right?” she called softly.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
