conker

American  

[kong-ker, kawng-] / ˈkɒŋ kər, ˈkɔŋ- /

noun

British Informal.

1. a horse chestnut.

2. the hollowed-out shell of a horse chestnut.

3. conkers, a game in which a child swings a horse chestnut on a string in an attempt to break that of another player.

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conker British  

/ ˈkɒŋkə /

noun

1. an informal name for horse chestnut

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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

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

And they were needed, with one man disqualified for trying to smuggle a non-conforming conker in.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

Mr Jakins, a conker competitor since 1977, denied using a steel horse chestnut at any point in the tournament, and said he kept a steel conker on him for "humour value".

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2024

The "second biggest conker competition in the world" took place at The Locks Inn at Geldeston, near Beccles, on the Norfolk-Suffolk border earlier this month.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024

The breeze lullabied the conker tree and the conker tree lullabied me.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell