conk out

verb

To fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly.

“The old car conked out halfway up the hill.”

Meanings

verbconk out (third-person singular simple present conks out, present participle conking out, simple past and past participle conked out)

present singular third person conks out · participle present conking out · participle past conked out · past conked out · alternative konk out

  1. informalintransitiveTo fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly.

    He wasn't there, just the dog, conked out on the porch.

    1 more example

    “We're in the middle of the goddamn ocean!” “Yes we are.” [Laughing] “Well, what are we gonna do?” “Well, we're gonna conk out for a while... and let the current gently roll us back to shore.” “Frank, the current is what brought us out here in the first place. If anything, we should be paddling against it to get back to the beach.” “I'm gonna pretend like I didn't hear that.”

    2011 September 22, Dave Chernin & John Chernin, “The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore” (8:10 from the start), in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, season 7, episode 2, spoken by Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito)

    Synonyms: zonk out

  2. informalintransitiveTo stop functioning.

    The old car conked out halfway up the hill.

    1 more example

    So, if you want to race your dog, plan a 25-kilometer race on a hot summer day. He'll conk out.

    2016, Joseph Henrich, chapter 5, in The Secret of Our Success […] , Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN
  3. informalintransitiveTo die.

    He lived to be 90, then conked out in his sleep.

    1 more example

    JOHN LE MESURIER Wishes it to be known that he conked out on November 15th. He sadly misses family and friends.

    1983, John Le Mesurier, self-penned death notice in The Times (16 November)

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

verbstop operating or functioning

Broader

verbuse up all one's strength and energy and stop working

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Possibly an onomatopoeic imitation of the sound of a stalling internal combustion engine. Possibly coined by British motorcyclists circa 1910.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French tomber en panne
  • tomber en panneto stop functioning
German einnicken, einpennen
  • einnickento fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly
  • einpennento fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly
  • wegtretento fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly
  • ausfallento stop functioning
  • streikento stop functioning
  • den Geist aufgebento stop functioning
  • abtretento die
  • den Löffel abgebento die
  • ins Gras beißento die
  • abkratzento die
Polish kimnąć się, nawalać
  • kimnąć sięto fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly
  • nawalaćto stop functioning
  • nawalićto stop functioning
  • kitowaćto die
  • wykitowaćto die
Portuguese pifar
  • pifarto stop functioning
Spanish caer muerto, morir
  • caer muertoto fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly
  • morirto stop functioning
  • petarto stop functioning
Cite this entry
APA

conk out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/conk%20out

MLA

“conk out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/conk%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “conk out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/conk%20out.

Source: conk out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.