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conkers

British

/ ˈkɒŋkəz /

noun

(functioning as singular) a game in which a player swings a horse chestnut (conker), threaded onto a string, against that of another player to try to break it

"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

Etymology

Origin of conkers

C19: from dialect conker snail shell, originally used in the game

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.

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

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

Organisers of next month's World Conker Championships hope to have avoided cancelling it altogether following an appeal for help, after the hot, dry summer caused conkers to drop from their trees early.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025

The event saw participants go head-to-head using conkers threaded on to string to try and smash their opponent's nut.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024

This, we decided, would be our secret hiding place for sweets and other small treasures such as conkers and monkey-nuts and birds’ eggs.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023