zonk, v.

zonk
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zonk_v%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1986; not fully revised

# zonkverb

## Earlier version

- zonk, v. in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the verb zonk mean?

There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb zonk. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

#### Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

### How common is the verb zonk?

About 0.03occurrences per million words in modern written English

1950 | 0.016
1960 | 0.019
1970 | 0.021
1980 | 0.023
1990 | 0.026
2000 | 0.03
2010 | 0.032

### How is the verb zonk pronounced?

#### British English

/zɒŋk/
zonk

#### U.S. English

/zɔŋk/
zawnk
/zɑŋk/
zahnk

### Where does the verb zonk come from?

Earliest known use

1950s

The earliest known use of the verb zonk is in the 1950s.

OED's earliest evidence for zonk is from 1950, in the writing of A. Melville.

It is also recorded as an exclamation from the 1940s.

zonk is formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: zonk int.

### Nearby entries

1. zone-refine, v. 1962–
2. zone refiner, n. 1959–
3. zone refining, n. 1952–
4. zone therapy, n. 1915–
5. zone time, n. 1908–
6. Zonian, n. 1910–
7. zonic, adj. 1797–
8. zoning, n. a1821–
9. zonite, n. 1860–
10. zonitic, adj. 1888–
11. zonk, v.1950–
12. zonk, int. 1949–
13. zonked, adj. 1959–
14. zonkey, n. 1953–
15. zonking, adj. 1958–
16. zonky, adj. 1972–
17. zono-, comb. form
18. zonochlorite, n. 1872–
19. zonociliate, adj. 1885–
20. zonoplacental, adj. 1879–
21. zonular, adj. 1835–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by conversion.
< zonk int.

## Meaning & use

slang.

1. 1.
   1950–
   transitive. To hit, strike, or knock. Also figurative.
   1. 1950

      > If the Third Earl found that his wife had nipped off with another man while he was away at the Crusades, he'd have zonked her over the head with his kitbag.

      A. Melville, Castle in Air i, in Plays of Year vol. III. 338
   2. 1959

      > We found ourselves back in my flat..zonking down the drink.

      P. Bull, I know Face xi. 201
   3. 1960

      > She zonked me again on the head with this hairbrush.

      I. Cross, Backward Sex 188
   4. 1975

      > William Green tried to assure them that care had been taken to put provisions in the bill to see to it that New England ‘doesn't get zonked’.

      New Yorker 21 July 67/1
   5. 1979

      > I felt zonked by this idea. It had never occurred to me.

      G. Watson, Black Jack xxii. 178
   6. 1982

      > ICI has invented a new adaptation to ethylene crackers that will zonk the competition and make feedstock costs less critical.

      Observer 14 November 15
   colloquial and slang
   1. knock Old English–
      transitive. To give a hard blow or blows to; to hit, strike, beat, hammer; †to beat into small pieces, pound (obsolete). Also with complement…
   2. plat Old English–
      transitive. To strike, knock, slap. to plat off: to chop off.
   3. slay Old English–1325
      transitive. To smite, strike, or beat. Obsolete.
   4. swing Old English–1500
      transitive. To scourge, whip, flog, beat (a person); also, to strike with a weapon or the hand.
   5. swenge a1225–1400
      To smite; to dash, fling; = swing, v.¹ 2.
   6. swip a1225–75
      transitive. To strike, hit, smite. (Cf. swap, v. I.1a, I.1b.)
   7. kill?c1225–1400
      transitive. To strike, hit; to beat, knock. Also with off, and absol. or intransitive. Also figurative. Obsolete.
   8. gird c1275–1618
      transitive. To strike, smite. Often with adverb complement describing the effect of the stroke, as to gird down, to gird off, to gird out, also to g…
   9. hit c1275–
      transitive. To strike (someone or something) with deliberate intent using the hand or something held in the hand; (contextually) to strike (a person…
   10. beft a1300–
       transitive. To beat, buffet, slap.
   11. anhit c1300–1425
       transitive. To hit, strike (something). Also figurative.
   12. frap a1330–
       transitive. To strike; to beat; also figurative. Obsolete exc. dialect.
   13. lush c1330–
       transitive. To strike.
   14. redde c1330
       transitive. Perhaps: to strike.
   15. take c1330–
       transitive. To strike, hit (a person); usually with preposition specifying the part of the body struck. Also: to strike, hit (a part of the…
   16. pop c1390–
       transitive. colloquial. To strike, punch, knock; to deliver (a blow) to a person. Also: (British regional) †to strike lightly, tap (obsolete). Also…
   17. swap a1400–1577
       transitive. To strike, hit, smite (occasionally used of kissing). Also figurative. Obsolete.
   18. quell a1425–1600
       transitive. To dash out; to strike down. Also (occasionally) simply: to strike, beat. Cf. kill, v. 1. Obsolete. rare.
   19. suffet c1440–
       = buffet, v.
   20. smith 1451–
       transitive. To treat by heating or hammering; spec. to hammer or beat (a blade, iron bar, etc.) after heating.
   21. jod?a1500
       transitive. To strike, knock.
   22. nolp c1540
       intransitive. To give a blow to, to keep on giving blows.
   23. bedunch 1567
       To strike against.
   24. percuss 1575–
       transitive. To strike so as to shake or shock; to hit, knock, deliver a blow to. Later also intransitive: to impact. Also in extended use.
   25. nob a1586
       transitive. Scottish. Probably: to beat, strike. rare.
   26. affrap 1590–1755
       transitive. To strike, beat against. Also intransitive.
   27. cuff?1611–
       transferred. To beat, strike, buffet.
   28. dod a1661
       transitive. To beat, knock.
   29. buff a1796
       intransitive and transitive. To strike a soft inflated body (with the characteristic effect and sound).
   30. pug 1802–
       transitive. To poke, punch, strike. rare.
   31. nob 1811–42
       Boxing slang. transitive. To strike (a person), esp. on the head.
   32. scud 1814–
       Scottish. To slap, beat, strike, spank; to beat down.
   33. bunt 1825–
       transitive and intransitive. To strike, knock, push, butt.
   34. belt 1838–
       transitive. colloquial. To hit or strike (a person) in an attempt to inflict pain or cause injury; to attack. Later also more generally: to hit or…
   35. duntle 1850
       colloquial. transitive. To knock or drive (something) into something else. Obsolete.
   36. punt 1886–
       transitive. More generally: to propel with a blow from the foot or hand, or (less commonly) a bat, racket, etc.; to bat, knock. Also: to strike…
   37. plunk 1888–
       transitive. Chiefly U.S. To hit, to wound; to shoot.
   38. potch 1892–
       transitive. To slap, smack. Also figurative.
   39. to stick one on 1910–
       transitive. slang. to stick one (also it) on: to hit (a person, his or her face, etc.); to punch.
   40. clunk 1943–
       transitive. To hit or strike (so as to produce a ‘clunk’). Cf. clonk, v. 2. colloquial.
   41. zonk 1950–
       transitive. To hit, strike, or knock. Also figurative.
   42. boink 1984–
       transitive. To strike, to knock. Also intransitive: to bump into or against.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1968–
   intransitive. To fail; to lose consciousness, to die.
   1. 1968

      > If Johnny zonked, it would be bad for my book.

      Listener 14 March 352/3
   2. 1977

      > In a burst of determination, she'd been sitting in the bathtub doing her breathing for five hours straight—in one nostril, out the other—until she zonked and went rigid.

      New York Times Magazine 4 December 142
   colloquial and slang
   1. adead Old English–1400
      intransitive. To die. Also in extended use and figurative.
   2. dead Old English–1450
      intransitive. To die. Obsolete.
   3. fall Old English–
      intransitive. To drop down dead; to be killed; esp. to die in battle or on active service. Also occasionally: †to be wounded (obsolete). Cf. fallen…
   4. forfere Old English–1400
      intransitive. To perish.
   5. forswelt Old English–1225
      intransitive. To die, perish.
   6. forthfare Old English–1375
      To decease, die.
   7. forworth Old English–1340
      intransitive. To perish, come to nought, go wrong.
   8. i-wite Old English–1275
      intransitive. To go away, depart; to decease, die.
   9. quele Old English–1398
      intransitive. To die.
   10. starve Old English–1657
       intransitive. Of a person or animal: to die. Also figurative of the soul. Obsolete.
   11. swelt Old English–
       To die, perish.
   12. to go (also depart , pass, i-wite, chare) out of this world Old English–
       to go (also depart, pass, †i-wite, †chare) out of this world and variants: to die.
   13. to shed (one's own) blood Old English–
       (a) to shed the blood of (another person or persons): to kill in a manner involving effusion of blood; often loosely, to kill by violent means…
   14. to take (also nim, underfo) (the) death Old English–1488
       to take (also nim, underfo) (the) death: to meet one's death, to die. Obsolete.
   15. wend Old English–1800
       intransitive. To depart from life; to die. Usually with adverb or prepositional phrase, as to wend from (also †of) life, to wend hence, to wend ou…
   16. wite Old English–1532
       intransitive. To go, go away, depart; to perish, vanish away.
   17. die c1175–
       intransitive. Of a person (or a person's body), an animal, etc.: to stop living; to cease to perform the vital biological functions which sustain…
   18. end c1175–
       To die. rare in modern use. Also to end up (slang).
   19. fare c1175–1400
       In wider sense = go, v. To depart from life; to die. Obsolete.
   20. to give up the ghost c1175–
       Of a person or animal: to die. Cf. sense A.I.1.
   21. let c1200–1587
       To lose (one's life, virtue, honour, etc.). Obsolete.
   22. aswelt a1250–1300
       intransitive. To perish, die, become extinct.
   23. leave a1250–
       transitive. To part with, be deprived of, lose. Chiefly in to leave one's life and variants.
   24. to-swelt c1275
       (intransitive) to perish, die.
   25. to-worth c1275
       intransitive. To come to nought; to perish.
   26. to yield (up) the ghost (soul, breath, life, spirit) c1290–
       to yield (up) the ghost (soul, breath, life, spirit): to ‘give up the ghost’, die, expire. archaic.
   27. fine a1300–1535
       intransitive. To come to an end, pass away; to cease to exist. Also: to come to the end of one's life; to die.
   28. spill a1300–1592
       intransitive. To perish; to be destroyed or lost. Obsolete.
   29. part?1316–
       intransitive. Frequently with hence, out of this life, etc.: to die. Cf. depart, v. II.7. Now rare and formal.
   30. to leese one's life-days a1325
       A day or some period of a person's life; (chiefly in plural) a person's life or lifetime, ‘(all) the days of (one's) life’.
   31. to nim the way of death c1325
       In figurative contexts which consciously retain the idea of travelling, frequently (esp. in early use) with regard to a person's spiritual journey…
   32. tine c1330–
       intransitive. To be lost, ruined, or destroyed; to perish: = lose, v.¹ 1.
   33. to tine, leave, lose the sweat c1330–1513
       The life-blood: in to tine, leave, lose the sweat: to lose one's life-blood, die. Obsolete.
   34. flit 1340
       intransitive. To shift one's position, either in a material or immaterial sense; to be gone, depart, pass away, remove. Also with away, or const. f…
   35. trance 1340–1632
       intransitive. a. To ‘pass away’, to die. b. To swoon, faint. c. To be in extreme dread, doubt, or suspense. Obsolete.
   36. determine c1374–
       intransitive (for reflexive). To come to an end; to cease to exist or be in force; to expire, to die. (Now chiefly in Law.)
   37. disperish a1382–82
       intransitive. To perish utterly.
   38. to go the way of all the earth a1382–
       to go the way of all the earth (also world): to die. Also (in quot. 1600 and allusions to it) to walk the way of nature.
   39. to be gathered to one's fathers 1382–
       In the Biblical phrase to be gathered to one's fathers (also to be gathered to one's people): to be buried with one's ancestors; hence, to die.
   40. miscarry c1387–1749
       intransitive. To come to harm, suffer misfortune, perish; (of a person) to meet with death; (of an inanimate object) to be lost or destroyed. Obsolete…
   41. shut 1390
       figurative (transitive) To close (one's life). Obsolete.
   42. go a1393–
       intransitive. Simply: to depart from life, die. Cf. to go away 2a at phrasal verbs 2a, to go off 6a at phrasal verbs 6a, to go under 2 at phrasal…
   43. expire a1400–
       intransitive. Of a person or animal: To breathe one's last; to die.
   44. flee a1400
       To depart this life.
   45. to die up a1400–1570
       intransitive. To die one after another until there are few or none left; to die off completely. Obsolete.
   46. to pass away a1400–
       intransitive. In early use: (of a person's soul or life) to depart from the body. Later: (of a person) to die. Cf. to pass out at phrasal verbs PV.1.
   47. to seek out of life a1400–50
       To go, move, proceed (in a specified direction). Widely used in Middle English; e.g. to seek up, to rise (from a sitting posture); to seek asunder…
   48. to sye hethen a1400–
       to sye hethen (= hence) or to sye of life, to depart this life, die.
   49. espire c1430–
       ? Mistake for enspire = inspire, v.
   50. to end one's days?a1439–
       to end one's days: to reach the end of one's life; to die. Cf. sense III.16a.
   51. decease 1439–
       intransitive. To depart from life; to die.
   52. to go away?a1450–
       intransitive. To die, pass away.
   53. ungo c1450
       intransitive. To pass away, perish.
   54. unlive c1450
       intransitive. To die, to cease to exist. Obsolete.
   55. to change one's life a1470–1876
       to change (one's, this, the) life: to die. Obsolete (archaic and rare in later use).
   56. vade 1495–1678
       To pass away, disappear, vanish; to decay or perish; = fade, v.¹ 6.
   57. trespass a1500–23
       intransitive (in form trepass.) To pass beyond this life; to die. Also transitive in to trepass this life. trepassed, deceased. (The only sense in…
   58. depart 1501–
       intransitive. To leave this world, decease, die, pass away. (Now only to depart from (this) life.)
   59. to pay one's debt to (also the debt of) nature a1513–
       debt to (also of) nature (also †nature's debt): the necessity of dying, death; to pay one's debt to (also the debt of) nature: to die. Now rare.
   60. to decease this world 1515
       to decease this world (cf. to depart this life at depart, v. II.8). Obsolete. rare.
   61. to go over?1520–
       intransitive. To change one's party or allegiance; to transfer from one side to another.
   62. jet 1530–1777
       intransitive. To go; to walk, stroll. Obsolete.
   63. vade 1530–1625
       With away.
   64. to go west a1532–
       Originally Scottish (figurative) To die.
   65. to pick over the perch 1532–1662
       To fall. intransitive. to pick over the perch: to fall off one's perch; to pitch forward; (figurative) to die. Cf. to peck over the perch at peck, v.²…
   66. galp a1535–58
       transitive. To vomit forth; also figurative, to give up (the ghost).
   67. to die the death 1535–
       To cease to live; to be put to death; to be executed or killed, esp. as a punishment or sentence at the end of a judicial process. Now rare.
   68. to depart to God 1548
       To die and go to heaven. Also to depart to God. In early use also †to fere (or i-wite) to God. Cf. to pass to God at pass, v. II.6a.
   69. to go home 1561–
       To the afterlife, heaven, or some other place of future existence; (also) to the grave. Also in to go home: to die. Cf. home, n.¹ A.I.3, welcome, n.²…
   70. mort 1568
       intransitive. To die.
   71. to play tapple up tail 1570–
       English regional (chiefly northern). In phrases with tail as the object of the verb or the prepositional object in a complement of the verb…
   72. to make a die (of it) 1573–
       Only in to make a die (of it): to die.
   73. inlaik c1575–
       To fail through death; to decease.
   74. shuffle 1576–
       intransitive. To move the feet along the ground without lifting them, so as to make a scraping noise; to walk with such a motion of the feet; to go…
   75. finish 1578–1616
       To die. Obsolete.
   76. relent 1587
       intransitive. To give up one's life, to die. Obsolete. rare.
   77. to hop (also tip, pitch over, drop off, etc.) the perch 1587–
       to hop (also tip, pitch over, drop off, etc.) the perch and variants (slang): to die.
   78. unbreathe 1589–
       intransitive. To cease to breathe; to expire, die.
   79. transpass 1592
       intransitive. To pass away, depart, die.
   80. to lose one's breath 1596
       To incur the privation of (something that one possesses or has control of); to part with through… With object a limb, a faculty, one's life, etc. to…
   81. to go off a1616–
       intransitive. To die, pass away. Now somewhat rare.
   82. fail 1623–1878
       To die. Obsolete.
   83. to go out 1635–
       intransitive. To die. Chiefly with complement indicating the manner of dying.
   84. to peak over the perch a1641
       intransitive. to peak over the perch: to fall off one's perch (in quot. 1641 figurative: to die). Obsolete. rare.
   85. exit a1652–
       intransitive. figurative and in figurative contexts; spec. (literary) to die, to depart from life.
   86. to die off 1653–
       intransitive. Esp. of a group of people, animals, cells, etc.: to die one after another until there are few or none left; to decline in population…
   87. drop 1654–
       figurative. To die. See also to drop off at phrasal verbs.
   88. to knock off a1657–
       intransitive. To desist, leave off; to cease from one's work or occupation; slang to die.
   89. to kick up a1658–1813
       intransitive. To die (cf. 1b). Obsolete.
   90. to pay nature her due 1657–61
       to pay nature her due: to fulfil a physical need; spec. to die. Obsolete. rare.
   91. ghost 1666–89
       intransitive. To die; = to give up the ghost at ghost, n. & adj.phrases P.1a. Obsolete.
   92. to march off 1693–4
       to march off. intransitive. To die. Obsolete.
   93. pike 1697
       intransitive. Now colloquial. To depart; to proceed, go, run (away, off, etc.); (figurative) to die. Also transitive with it as object.
   94. to bite the ground (also earth, sand, etc.) 1697
       to bite the ground (also earth, sand, etc.): to fall to the ground as when wounded, esp. fatally; to die. In later use chiefly in to bite the dust…
   95. tip (over) the perch 1699–
       to tip off, also simply to tip, or tip (over) the perch: to die. slang or dialect.
   96. to drop off 1699–
       intransitive. To die; = I.5b.
   97. to pass (also go, be called, etc.) to one's reward 1703–
       to pass (also go, be called, etc.) to one's reward and variants: to go to heaven, to die. Also in ironic use.
   98. to bite the dust 1712
       to bite the dust: (a) To fall to the ground as when wounded, esp. fatally; to die; (b) (more generally; somewhat colloquial) to come to a disastrous…
   99. sink 1718–
       intransitive. To fail in health or strength; to decline rapidly (under some trouble or ailment). Formerly also: †to die (obsolete).
   100. vent 1718
        poetic. To pour out (one's soul) in death. Obsolete.
   101. to launch into eternity 1719
        figurative. To start (a person) in, into, or on a business, career, etc.; to set on foot (a project); to commence (an action). Also with out. to launc…
   102. to join the majority 1721–
        the majority: the dead. Chiefly in phrases to join the majority and to go (also pass over) to the majority: to die. Now rare.
   103. demise 1727–
        intransitive. To resign the crown; to die, decease. rare.
   104. to pack off 1735–
        intransitive. To leave, depart.
   105. to slip one's breath or wind 1735–
        to slip one's breath or wind, to expire; to die. colloquial.
   106. to slip one's cable 1751–
        to slip one's cable, to die.
   107. turf 1763
        transferred. To place or lay under the turf; to cover with turf, or as turf does; to bury; also intransitive with it, to die and be buried.
   108. to move off 1764
        intransitive. colloquial. To die. Cf. to go off 6a at go, v. phrasal verbs 6a. Obsolete. rare.
   109. to pop (off) 1764–
        slang. intransitive. to pop (off): to die. Also to pop off the hooks.
   110. to hop off 1797–
        to hop the twig: to depart, go off, or be dismissed suddenly; (also simply to hop, to hop off) to die. to hop the wag: to play truant. slang.
   111. to pass on 1805–
        intransitive. To proceed from one existence or activity to another; spec. (euphemistic) to die.
   112. to go to glory 1814–
        colloquial. to go to glory: to go to heaven; to die.
   113. sough 1816–
        With away: To breathe one's last; to die.
   114. to hand in one's accounts 1817–73
        U.S. colloquial. to hand in one's accounts: to die. Cf. to go to one's account at sense III.7. Obsolete.
   115. croak 1819–
        intransitive. slang. To die.
   116. stiffen 1820–
        intransitive. Of persons: To become stiff or rigid; also, to die. Also figurative.
   117. weed 1824
        Scottish (chiefly literary). With away. intransitive. To die off, pass away. Obsolete. rare.
   118. to buy it 1826–
        to buy it: to suffer some mishap or reverse; esp. to be wounded; to get killed, to die; to be damaged or destroyed. Cf. sense I.2b, to buy the farm…
   119. to drop short 1826–
        intransitive. colloquial or slang. To die.
   120. to fall (a) prey (also victim, sacrifice) to 1839–
        to fall (a) prey (also victim, †sacrifice) to and variants: to become a victim of; to be harmed, destroyed, or killed by; (now) esp. to be deceived…
   121. to get one's (also the) call 1839–
        figurative. A summons to die; a sign of impending death. Cf. last call, n. 1. Now rare.
   122. to drop (etc.) off the hooks 1840–
        to drop (etc.) off the hooks: to die. slang.
   123. to unreeve one's lifeline 1840–
        transitive. Chiefly Nautical slang. to unreeve one's lifeline: to die.
   124. to step out 1844–
        To die; to disappear. U.S. slang. ? Obsolete.
   125. to cash, pass or send in one's checks 1845–
        A counter used in card games (U.S.); hence (colloquial) to hand in one's checks: to die. Also to cash, pass or send in one's checks. (Originally…
   126. to hand in one's checks 1845–
        A counter used in card games (U.S.); hence (colloquial) to hand in one's checks: to die. Also to cash, pass or send in one's checks. (Originally…
   127. to go off the handle 1848–72
        U.S. To die. Obsolete. rare.
   128. to go under 1848–
        intransitive. Chiefly U.S. slang. To die. Now rare.
   129. succumb 1849–
        spec. To yield to the attacks of a disease, the effect of wounds, an operation, etc.; hence, to die.
   130. to turn one's toes up 1851–
        Phrases (chiefly colloquial and slang). to turn one's toes up, to die; hence toes up, lying dead.
   131. to peg out 1852–
        intransitive. slang. To die; (formerly also) †to be ruined (obsolete).
   132. walk 1858
        To go away, leave, depart. intransitive. Simply or with away, forth. Formerly often in imperative in sense ‘begone’, with a vocative of some term of…
   133. to go bung 1859–
        To die. Now rare.
   134. snuff 1864–
        intransitive. To die. slang or colloquial. Also const. out.
   135. to go or be up the flume 1865–
        U.S., etc. U.S. slang. to go or be up the flume: to ‘come to grief’, ‘be done for’; to die.
   136. to pass out c1867–
        intransitive. To die. Cf. to pass away at phrasal verbs PV.1. Now chiefly U.S. regional.
   137. to cash in one's chips 1870–
        colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to hand (also pass, cash) in one's chips and variants: to die; (now also more generally) to withdraw or…
   138. to go (also pass over) to the majority 1883–
        the majority: the dead. Chiefly in phrases to join the majority and to go (also pass over) to the majority: to die. Now rare.
   139. to cash in 1884–
        to cash in figurative. To die. (Also without in.) Also with checks as object.
   140. snuff 1885–
        With it: = 3a. slang.
   141. perch 1886
        intransitive. slang. To die. Cf. to hop the perch at perch, n.¹ phrases P.2, perch, n.¹ III.6d, percher, n.³ 1. Obsolete. rare.
   142. to belly up 1886–
        intransitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). to belly up: to turn over or belly upwards; (figurative) to fail, become defunct, or give in; to die; to…
   143. to kick the bucket 1889–
        transitive. To strike (anything) with the foot. to kick the wind or clouds, to be hanged (slang). to kick the bucket, to die (slang): see bucket, n.²…
   144. off 1890–
        intransitive. To go off, make off (nonstandard or humorous). Frequently as to up and off. Also transitive, with it: to depart; (slang) to die. Cf…
   145. to knock over 1892–
        intransitive. To succumb; to die. colloquial or slang.
   146. to pass over 1897–
        intransitive. figurative. To die.
   147. to stop one 1901–
        colloquial (originally Military). To be hit by (a bullet). Phrases to stop one: to be hit or killed; to stop a packet: see to cop (also stop, catch,…
   148. to pass in 1904–
        To hand in, return, or cash in (a form of currency). Chiefly figurative (colloquial) in to pass in one's cheques (U.S. checks), to pass in one's chips…
   149. the silver cord is loosed 1911–
        a. Used in the silver cord is loosed and variants (in allusion to Ecclesiastes xii. 6) to signify the dissolution of life at death; b. a symbol of…
   150. to hand in one's marble 1911–
        Australian slang. to hand (also chuck, throw) in one's marble: to die, to give up. to pass in one's marble: see pass, v.
   151. pip 1913–
        intransitive. To die. Also with out. Now rare.
   152. to cop it 1915–
        To be injured or damaged, esp. seriously or irreparably. Frequently: spec. to die, to be killed.
   153. to cross over 1915–
        To pass over a line, boundary, river, channel, etc.; to pass from one side to the other of any space. intransitive. Biology. to cross over: of…
   154. conk 1917–
        intransitive. To break down, give out, fail, or show signs of failing; to die, collapse, or lose consciousness. Also figurative. Also with out.
   155. to check out 1921–
        intransitive. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to check out: to die. Cf. sense IV.16e.
   156. to kick off 1921–
        To die. slang (originally U.S.).
   157. to pack up 1925–
        intransitive. colloquial (chiefly British). = to pack in at phrasal verbs.
   158. to step off 1926–
        intransitive. To die. Cf. to step out at phrasal verbs PV.1. slang. rare.
   159. to take the ferry 1928–
        Used in figurative expressions alluding to death, as to take the ferry, etc., with reference to the boat in which Charon transported the spirits of…
   160. cross 1930–
        To pass over a line, boundary, river, channel, etc.; to pass from one side to the other of any space. euphemistic. To die.
   161. peg 1931–
        intransitive. slang. To die; also transitive with it as object. Cf. to peg out 3 at phrasal verbs.
   162. to meet one's Maker 1933–
        to meet one's Maker: (in extended use) to die; (sometimes humorously, of a thing) to be destroyed.
   163. to kiss off 1935–
        to kiss off slang, (a) transitive to dismiss, get rid of, kill (see also quot. 1935); (b) intransitive to go away, die.
   164. to crease it 1959–
        transitive. To stun (a horse, etc.) by a shot in the ‘crest’ or ridge of the neck. Also, to stun (a person); to kill; to exhaust physically; to crea…
   165. zonk 1968–
        intransitive. To fail; to lose consciousness, to die.
   166. cark 1977–
        intransitive. To die.
   167. to bite it 1977–
        North American slang. to bite it: = to bite the dust at phrases P.1b.
   168. to cark it 1979–
        transitive. to cark it: to die. (Now the more common use.)
   169. to take a dirt nap 1981–
        Death; an instance of dying. Frequently in to take a dirt nap: to die.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. to forget oneself 1390–
      to forget oneself. To lose consciousness.
   2. zonk 1968–
      intransitive. To fail; to lose consciousness, to die.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
3. 3.
   Const. out.
   1. 3.a.
      1970–
      intransitive. To fall heavily asleep.
      1. 1970

         > He left me at seven a.m. and I zonked out until after mid-day.

         J. Sangster, Touchfeather, Too iii. 75
      2. 1984

         > If mothers zonk out at three in the afternoon every day, they may continue that pattern after it's no longer necessary.

         New York News Magazine 18 March 18/2
      colloquial and slang
      1. to flake (out) 1942–
         to flake (out): to faint, fall asleep (from exhaustion, drunkenness, etc.). So flaked (out) participial adjective, exhausted; unconscious, asleep…
      2. zonk 1970–
         Const. out. intransitive. To fall heavily asleep.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. 3.b.
      1973–
      transitive. To overcome or knock out (in figurative senses).
      1. 1973

         > I sank into my bed.., zonked myself out with sleeping pills, and woke up Friday.

         Australian Women's Weekly 26 December 32/5
      2. 1980

         > It's J. R.'s power that zonks women out.

         Telegraph (Brisbane) 21 March 6/3
      3. 1985

         > No Junoesque oarswomen though... ‘I think I row because it zonks me out, then I don't row with anyone.’

         Sunday Times 24 February 36/6
      colloquial and slang
      1. allay Old English–1400
         transitive. To bring down, overthrow (a person, nation, etc.); to reduce to submission. Obsolete.
      2. fell Old English–
         figurative. transitive. To bring down, ruin, humiliate; to defeat, destroy.
      3. quell Old English–
         transitive. To crush or overcome (a person or thing); to subdue, oppress; to reduce to submission, silence, etc.; †to force down to (obsolete)…
      4. shrench Old English–1400
         transitive. To put a stumbling-block in the way of; to overthrow; to entrap; to deceive.
      5. to bring to the ground c1175–
         figurative in †to bring to the ground: to cast down, overthrow, overcome, subdue; to come (also go) to the ground: to be overcome; to perish; so t…
      6. forlese c1200–1591
         transitive. To bring to ruin, put to shame, confound; also, to lead astray to one's ruin. (Usually in passive.)
      7. to lay down a1225–
         transitive †To put down, overthrow (obsolete). Also Nautical of wind or sea: To make (a vessel) lie on its side.
      8. acast c1225–
         transitive. To cast down, throw down, cast away or off; to overcome. Now only as past participle: downcast, dejected.
      9. accumber c1275–
         transitive. To encumber, overwhelm, oppress.
      10. confound 1297–
          transitive. To defeat utterly, discomfit, bring to ruin, destroy, overthrow, rout, bring to nought (an adversary). Obsolete or archaic.
      11. cumber 1303–1600
          transitive. To overwhelm, overthrow, rout, destroy. Obsolete.
      12. overthrow c1375–
          transitive. To cast down (a person or group of people) from a position of influence, prosperity, etc. Also: to defeat, conquer, overcome; to ruin…
      13. to beat down a1387–
          transitive. To overcome, defeat, or conquer (an enemy, etc.). Frequently figurative: to defeat or overthrow (an institution, attitude, etc.).
      14. cumray c1425–1522
          = cumber, v. 1, to overwhelm, rout.
      15. overquell?c1450–1635
          transitive. To quell, overcome, subdue.
      16. overwhelve c1450–1618
          transitive. To overthrow; to bring to ruin. Cf. overwhelm, v. 2. rare.
      17. to nip in (also by, on) the head (also neck, pate)?a1500–1668
          To overpower or overcome (a person) with a sudden grip or pinch on the specified part of the body. Also (in extended use): to affect as if…
      18. prostrate 1531–
          In extended use. transitive. To make submissive, humble; to overcome, overpower; to reduce to helplessness. Now usually in passive.
      19. quash 1556–
          transitive. To crush, quell, or utterly subdue (a person); to squash.
      20. couch 1577–1671
          figurative. To put down, quell, suppress, lay. Obsolete.
      21. unhorse 1577–
          figurative. To dislodge, overthrow, discomfit, nonplus.
      22. prosternate 1593–1653
          transitive. To cast down or lay low; = prostern, v.
      23. overbeat a1616–
          transitive. To beat (a person or thing) down; to overpower, overwhelm. Now rare.
      24. unchariot 1715–
          (un-, prefix² affix 1c.)
      25. topple 1791–
          transitive. To bring about the downfall or end of (something); to overthrow; spec. to remove (a government or person in authority) from power.
      26. floor 1828–
          In various figurative uses. colloquial. To overcome in any way; to beat, defeat, prove too much for. to floor the odds (see quot. 1893).
      27. quench 1841–
          transitive. To put (a person) down; to reduce to silence; to quell. Now rare.
      28. to knock over 1852–
          transitive. To overthrow by, or as if by, a blow; to prostrate. Also figurative.
      29. fling 1889–
          figurative. To give a fall to, cause to fall, overthrow. Also Scottish, to jilt.
      30. to throw down 1890–
          transitive. slang (chiefly U.S.). To overcome, conquer, defeat.
      31. steamroller 1912–
          figurative. To crush or break down, as with a steamroller; to ride roughshod over; to overwhelm or squash. Frequently in political contexts.
      32. wipe 1972–
          transitive. With out. Of drink, etc.: to render intoxicated or senseless. Also figurative, to overwhelm. slang (originally U.S.).
      33. zonk 1973–
          Const. out. transitive. To overcome or knock out (in figurative senses).
      View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zɒŋk/
zonk

### U.S. English

/zɔŋk/
zawnk
/zɑŋk/
zahnk

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Frequency

zonk typically occurs about 0.03 times per million words in modern written English.

zonk is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zonk, v., 1950–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1950 | 0.016
1960 | 0.019
1970 | 0.021
1980 | 0.023
1990 | 0.026
2000 | 0.03
2010 | 0.032

### Frequency of zonk, v., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.02
2018 | 0.019
2019 | 0.018
2020 | 0.017
2021 | 0.016
2022 | 0.016
2023 | 0.015
2024 | 0.016

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zonking, adj. 1958–

1. zonked, adj. 1959–
   Intoxicated by drugs or alcohol; ‘stoned’…

zonk, v. was first published in 1986; not fully revised.

zonk, v. was last modified in June 2024.