conk

[kongk, kawngk]Slang.

noun

verb (used with object)

to hit or strike on the head.

Origin of conk

First recorded in 1805–15; of obscure origin

conk

[kongk, kawngk]

verb (used without object) Slang.

to break or fail, as a machine or engine (often followed by out): The engine conked out halfway there.
to slow down or stop; lose energy (often followed by out).
to go to sleep (usually followed by off or out).
to lose consciousness; faint (usually followed by out).
to die (usually followed by out).

Origin of conk

First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps of imitative orig.

conk

⁴

[kongk, kawngk]Slang.

noun

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

verb (used with object)

to straighten (kinky hair) by the use of chemicals: to have one's hair conked.

Also process.

Origin of conk

⁴

probably shortening and alteration of congolene, alleged to be the name of a hair straightener made from Congo copal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for conked

decease, hit, knock, faint, straighten, swat, stall, fail

Examples from the Web for conked

Historical Examples of conked

"Poor devil, he's conked out—couldn't stand the gaff," he remarked, half-regretfully.
Skylark Three
Edward Elmer Smith
You know you may feel pretty miserable, but nobody's conked out with this stuff yet.
The Plague
Teddy Keller
A two-gallon jar of extra-special detergent, used only for laces, conked him and smashed on the floor before him.
The Ambulance Made Two Trips
William Fitzgerald Jenkins
Schwenky put the Captain down, conked him with one massive fist to make sure he stayed out, then stood there, waiting.
The Hell Ship
Raymond Alfred Palmer
The motor complained for a few minutes, then coughed and conked out completely.
A Yankee Flier in Italy
Rutherford G. Montgomery

British Dictionary definitions for conked

conk

verb

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

noun

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

Word Origin for conk

C19: probably changed from conch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for conked

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.