tonk
Americannoun
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of tonk
1920–25; compare British, Australian tonk (informal) to strike, beat, defeat
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.
The same agent, who spoke with a Chicano accent, later sped off in a vehicle while asking in Spanglish, “¿Alguien arresto un tonk, güey?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
A honky tonk atmosphere meets the queer community when the KFM Country Karaoke Revue gets going at Permanent Records Roadhouse in Glassell Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025
Georgetown’s favorite chili shack has already resumed Thursday’s “honky tonk happy hour” with Billy Joe Huels, but things start to heat up with accordion king Curley Taylor and his bluesy zydeco combo.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 24, 2021
A biography on the festival’s website said Olney incorporated a variety of styles in his music, including honky tonk and rock.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 19, 2020
Me and King learned how to play spades and tonk when we were real young.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
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.
