conker
Americannoun
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conkers
plural
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a horse chestnut.
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the hollowed-out shell of a horse chestnut.
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conkers, a game in which a child swings a horse chestnut on a string in an attempt to break that of another player.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of conker
1840–50; probably originally conquer; compare conquering a game played with snail shells (the name of the game presumably later transferred to the playing pieces)
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.
See Examples For:
And they were needed, with one man disqualified for trying to smuggle a non-conforming conker in.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
The single combat involves swinging a conker -- a hardened horse chestnut -- on a string at your opponent's nut with murderous venom, until one is smashed to pieces.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
He added: "Yes, he had a steel conker with him, which we're aware of... it's very obvious it's not a real one."
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2024
Each player took three alternate strikes at the opponent's conker.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2024
A conker tree’d erupted out of the earth and'd flexed out millions of strong arms and strong legs.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Mr Whalley said the conkers used this year would be smaller than average, due to the extreme weather, but it would not affect people's enjoyment.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
Organiser Charles Whalley feared the lack of conkers could have cancelled the event, but he was now confident it would take place after receiving "emails from around the country" from people offering to supply them.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
"Billy Connolly has worked his conkers off to make it look like he's just thought something up," he says.
From BBC ● May 20, 2025
All the conkers used in the event are supplied by the organisers and players draw them "blind" from a bag.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
But at least the conkers was something to watch.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
