tonk

American

[tongk] / tɒŋk /

noun

a form of rummy for two or more players with deuces wild.

tonk ¹ British

/ tɒŋk /

verb

informal to strike with a heavy blow

"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

tonk ² British

/ tɒŋk /

noun

slang an effete or effeminate man

"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 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.

He was beaten legendary guitarist and Manchester City fan Johnny Marr, who was spot on when he backed City to 'tonk' United in Sunday's Manchester derby, and almost got the score exactly right too when he went for a 4-0 win - City won 4-1.

From BBC

His lawyer simultaneously defended the agent and unwittingly supported racist accusations against the agency by saying “tonk,” which has various interpretations, “is commonplace throughout the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, that it is part of the agency’s culture.”

From Seattle Times

Did you guys come up playing Tonk?

From Salon

I played Tonk a little bit, yeah, but it wasn't in my house.

From Salon

So Najma was raised by her Burmese mother in the Nawab's palace in Tonk, Rajasthan.

From BBC

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