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.
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
“And I’m still living that honky tonk dream, y’all.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
Yet he also warned of “commercialism” that could mar the area’s beauty and expressed hope that there would be “no honky tonk growth.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2021
“Joe was a real true honky tonk hero to every country artist alive today,” country duo Big & Rich said on Twitter.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 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.
