zonkverb
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?
| 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
U.S. English
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
- zone-refine, v.1962–
- zone refiner, n.1959–
- zone refining, n.1952–
- zone therapy, n.1915–
- zone time, n.1908–
- Zonian, n.1910–
- zonic, adj.1797–
- zoning, n.a1821–
- zonite, n.1860–
- zonitic, adj.1888–
- zonk, v.1950–
- zonk, int.1949–
- zonked, adj.1959–
- zonkey, n.1953–
- zonking, adj.1958–
- zonky, adj.1972–
- zono-, comb. form
- zonochlorite, n.1872–
- zonociliate, adj.1885–
- zonoplacental, adj.1879–
- zonular, adj.1835–
Etymology
Summary
Meaning & use
- 1.1950–transitive. To hit, strike, or knock. Also figurative.
- 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 - 1959
We found ourselves back in my flat..zonking down the drink.
P. Bull, I know Face xi. 201 - 1960
She zonked me again on the head with this hairbrush.
I. Cross, Backward Sex 188 - 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 - 1979
I felt zonked by this idea. It had never occurred to me.
G. Watson, Black Jack xxii. 178 - 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
- knockOld 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…
- platOld English–transitive. To strike, knock, slap. to plat off: to chop off.
- slayOld English–1325transitive. To smite, strike, or beat. Obsolete.
- swingOld English–1500transitive. To scourge, whip, flog, beat (a person); also, to strike with a weapon or the hand.
- swengea1225–1400To smite; to dash, fling; = swing, v.¹ 2.
- swipa1225–75transitive. To strike, hit, smite. (Cf. swap, v. I.1a, I.1b.)
- kill?c1225–1400transitive. To strike, hit; to beat, knock. Also with off, and absol. or intransitive. Also figurative. Obsolete.
- girdc1275–1618transitive. 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…
- hitc1275–transitive. To strike (someone or something) with deliberate intent using the hand or something held in the hand; (contextually) to strike (a person…
- befta1300–transitive. To beat, buffet, slap.
- anhitc1300–1425transitive. To hit, strike (something). Also figurative.
- frapa1330–transitive. To strike; to beat; also figurative. Obsolete exc. dialect.
- lushc1330–transitive. To strike.
- reddec1330transitive. Perhaps: to strike.
- takec1330–transitive. To strike, hit (a person); usually with preposition specifying the part of the body struck. Also: to strike, hit (a part of the…
- popc1390–transitive. colloquial. To strike, punch, knock; to deliver (a blow) to a person. Also: (British regional) †to strike lightly, tap (obsolete). Also…
- swapa1400–1577transitive. To strike, hit, smite (occasionally used of kissing). Also figurative. Obsolete.
- quella1425–1600transitive. To dash out; to strike down. Also (occasionally) simply: to strike, beat. Cf. kill, v. 1. Obsolete. rare.
- suffetc1440–= buffet, v.
- smith1451–transitive. To treat by heating or hammering; spec. to hammer or beat (a blade, iron bar, etc.) after heating.
- jod?a1500transitive. To strike, knock.
- nolpc1540intransitive. To give a blow to, to keep on giving blows.
- bedunch1567To strike against.
- percuss1575–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.
- noba1586transitive. Scottish. Probably: to beat, strike. rare.
- affrap1590–1755transitive. To strike, beat against. Also intransitive.
- cuff?1611–transferred. To beat, strike, buffet.
- doda1661transitive. To beat, knock.
- buffa1796intransitive and transitive. To strike a soft inflated body (with the characteristic effect and sound).
- pug1802–transitive. To poke, punch, strike. rare.
- nob1811–42Boxing slang. transitive. To strike (a person), esp. on the head.
- scud1814–Scottish. To slap, beat, strike, spank; to beat down.
- bunt1825–transitive and intransitive. To strike, knock, push, butt.
- belt1838–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…
- duntle1850colloquial. transitive. To knock or drive (something) into something else. Obsolete.
- punt1886–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…
- plunk1888–transitive. Chiefly U.S. To hit, to wound; to shoot.
- potch1892–transitive. To slap, smack. Also figurative.
- to stick one on1910–transitive. slang. to stick one (also it) on: to hit (a person, his or her face, etc.); to punch.
- clunk1943–transitive. To hit or strike (so as to produce a ‘clunk’). Cf. clonk, v. 2. colloquial.
- zonk1950–transitive. To hit, strike, or knock. Also figurative.
- boink1984–transitive. To strike, to knock. Also intransitive: to bump into or against.
- 2.1968–intransitive. To fail; to lose consciousness, to die.
- 1968
If Johnny zonked, it would be bad for my book.
Listener 14 March 352/3 - 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
- adeadOld English–1400intransitive. To die. Also in extended use and figurative.
- deadOld English–1450intransitive. To die. Obsolete.
- fallOld 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…
- forfereOld English–1400intransitive. To perish.
- forsweltOld English–1225intransitive. To die, perish.
- forthfareOld English–1375To decease, die.
- forworthOld English–1340intransitive. To perish, come to nought, go wrong.
- i-witeOld English–1275intransitive. To go away, depart; to decease, die.
- queleOld English–1398intransitive. To die.
- starveOld English–1657intransitive. Of a person or animal: to die. Also figurative of the soul. Obsolete.
- sweltOld English–To die, perish.
- to go (also depart, pass, †i-wite, †chare) out of this world and variants: to die.
- to shed (one's own) bloodOld 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…
- to take (also nim, underfo) (the) deathOld English–1488to take (also nim, underfo) (the) death: to meet one's death, to die. Obsolete.
- wendOld English–1800intransitive. 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…
- witeOld English–1532intransitive. To go, go away, depart; to perish, vanish away.
- diec1175–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…
- endc1175–To die. rare in modern use. Also to end up (slang).
- farec1175–1400In wider sense = go, v. To depart from life; to die. Obsolete.
- to give up the ghostc1175–Of a person or animal: to die. Cf. sense A.I.1.
- letc1200–1587To lose (one's life, virtue, honour, etc.). Obsolete.
- aswelta1250–1300intransitive. To perish, die, become extinct.
- leavea1250–transitive. To part with, be deprived of, lose. Chiefly in to leave one's life and variants.
- to-sweltc1275(intransitive) to perish, die.
- to-worthc1275intransitive. To come to nought; to perish.
- to yield (up) the ghost (soul, breath, life, spirit): to ‘give up the ghost’, die, expire. archaic.
- finea1300–1535intransitive. To come to an end, pass away; to cease to exist. Also: to come to the end of one's life; to die.
- spilla1300–1592intransitive. To perish; to be destroyed or lost. Obsolete.
- part?1316–intransitive. Frequently with hence, out of this life, etc.: to die. Cf. depart, v. II.7. Now rare and formal.
- 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’.
- In figurative contexts which consciously retain the idea of travelling, frequently (esp. in early use) with regard to a person's spiritual journey…
- tinec1330–intransitive. To be lost, ruined, or destroyed; to perish: = lose, v.¹ 1.
- to tine, leave, lose the sweatc1330–1513The life-blood: in to tine, leave, lose the sweat: to lose one's life-blood, die. Obsolete.
- flit1340intransitive. 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…
- trance1340–1632intransitive. a. To ‘pass away’, to die. b. To swoon, faint. c. To be in extreme dread, doubt, or suspense. Obsolete.
- determinec1374–intransitive (for reflexive). To come to an end; to cease to exist or be in force; to expire, to die. (Now chiefly in Law.)
- disperisha1382–82intransitive. To perish utterly.
- 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.
- 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.
- miscarryc1387–1749intransitive. To come to harm, suffer misfortune, perish; (of a person) to meet with death; (of an inanimate object) to be lost or destroyed. Obsolete…
- shut1390figurative (transitive) To close (one's life). Obsolete.
- goa1393–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…
- expirea1400–intransitive. Of a person or animal: To breathe one's last; to die.
- fleea1400To depart this life.
- to die upa1400–1570intransitive. To die one after another until there are few or none left; to die off completely. Obsolete.
- to pass awaya1400–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.
- to seek out of lifea1400–50To 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…
- to sye hethena1400–to sye hethen (= hence) or to sye of life, to depart this life, die.
- espirec1430–? Mistake for enspire = inspire, v.
- 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.
- decease1439–intransitive. To depart from life; to die.
- to go away?a1450–intransitive. To die, pass away.
- ungoc1450intransitive. To pass away, perish.
- unlivec1450intransitive. To die, to cease to exist. Obsolete.
- to change one's lifea1470–1876to change (one's, this, the) life: to die. Obsolete (archaic and rare in later use).
- vade1495–1678To pass away, disappear, vanish; to decay or perish; = fade, v.¹ 6.
- trespassa1500–23intransitive (in form trepass.) To pass beyond this life; to die. Also transitive in to trepass this life. trepassed, deceased. (The only sense in…
- depart1501–intransitive. To leave this world, decease, die, pass away. (Now only to depart from (this) life.)
- 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.
- to decease this world (cf. to depart this life at depart, v. II.8). Obsolete. rare.
- to go over?1520–intransitive. To change one's party or allegiance; to transfer from one side to another.
- jet1530–1777intransitive. To go; to walk, stroll. Obsolete.
- vade1530–1625With away.
- to go westa1532–Originally Scottish (figurative) To die.
- to pick over the perch1532–1662To 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…
- galpa1535–58transitive. To vomit forth; also figurative, to give up (the ghost).
- to die the death1535–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.
- to depart to God1548To 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.
- to go home1561–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…
- mort1568intransitive. To die.
- English regional (chiefly northern). In phrases with tail as the object of the verb or the prepositional object in a complement of the verb…
- Only in to make a die (of it): to die.
- inlaikc1575–To fail through death; to decease.
- shuffle1576–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…
- finish1578–1616To die. Obsolete.
- relent1587intransitive. To give up one's life, to die. Obsolete. rare.
- to hop (also tip, pitch over, drop off, etc.) the perch and variants (slang): to die.
- unbreathe1589–intransitive. To cease to breathe; to expire, die.
- transpass1592intransitive. To pass away, depart, die.
- 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…
- to go offa1616–intransitive. To die, pass away. Now somewhat rare.
- fail1623–1878To die. Obsolete.
- to go out1635–intransitive. To die. Chiefly with complement indicating the manner of dying.
- intransitive. to peak over the perch: to fall off one's perch (in quot. 1641 figurative: to die). Obsolete. rare.
- exita1652–intransitive. figurative and in figurative contexts; spec. (literary) to die, to depart from life.
- to die off1653–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…
- drop1654–figurative. To die. See also to drop off at phrasal verbs.
- to knock offa1657–intransitive. To desist, leave off; to cease from one's work or occupation; slang to die.
- to kick upa1658–1813intransitive. To die (cf. 1b). Obsolete.
- to pay nature her due1657–61to pay nature her due: to fulfil a physical need; spec. to die. Obsolete. rare.
- ghost1666–89intransitive. To die; = to give up the ghost at ghost, n. & adj.phrases P.1a. Obsolete.
- to march off1693–4to march off. intransitive. To die. Obsolete.
- pike1697intransitive. Now colloquial. To depart; to proceed, go, run (away, off, etc.); (figurative) to die. Also transitive with it as object.
- 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…
- tip (over) the perch1699–to tip off, also simply to tip, or tip (over) the perch: to die. slang or dialect.
- to drop off1699–intransitive. To die; = I.5b.
- to pass (also go, be called, etc.) to one's reward and variants: to go to heaven, to die. Also in ironic use.
- to bite the dust1712to 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…
- sink1718–intransitive. To fail in health or strength; to decline rapidly (under some trouble or ailment). Formerly also: †to die (obsolete).
- vent1718poetic. To pour out (one's soul) in death. Obsolete.
- 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…
- to join the majority1721–the majority: the dead. Chiefly in phrases to join the majority and to go (also pass over) to the majority: to die. Now rare.
- demise1727–intransitive. To resign the crown; to die, decease. rare.
- to pack off1735–intransitive. To leave, depart.
- to slip one's breath or wind, to expire; to die. colloquial.
- to slip one's cable1751–to slip one's cable, to die.
- turf1763transferred. 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.
- to move off1764intransitive. colloquial. To die. Cf. to go off 6a at go, v. phrasal verbs 6a. Obsolete. rare.
- to pop (off)1764–slang. intransitive. to pop (off): to die. Also to pop off the hooks.
- to hop off1797–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.
- to pass on1805–intransitive. To proceed from one existence or activity to another; spec. (euphemistic) to die.
- to go to glory1814–colloquial. to go to glory: to go to heaven; to die.
- sough1816–With away: To breathe one's last; to die.
- to hand in one's accounts1817–73U.S. colloquial. to hand in one's accounts: to die. Cf. to go to one's account at sense III.7. Obsolete.
- croak1819–intransitive. slang. To die.
- stiffen1820–intransitive. Of persons: To become stiff or rigid; also, to die. Also figurative.
- weed1824Scottish (chiefly literary). With away. intransitive. To die off, pass away. Obsolete. rare.
- to buy it1826–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…
- to drop short1826–intransitive. colloquial or slang. To die.
- 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…
- figurative. A summons to die; a sign of impending death. Cf. last call, n. 1. Now rare.
- to drop (etc.) off the hooks: to die. slang.
- transitive. Chiefly Nautical slang. to unreeve one's lifeline: to die.
- to step out1844–To die; to disappear. U.S. slang. ? Obsolete.
- 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…
- 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…
- to go off the handle1848–72U.S. To die. Obsolete. rare.
- to go under1848–intransitive. Chiefly U.S. slang. To die. Now rare.
- succumb1849–spec. To yield to the attacks of a disease, the effect of wounds, an operation, etc.; hence, to die.
- Phrases (chiefly colloquial and slang). to turn one's toes up, to die; hence toes up, lying dead.
- to peg out1852–intransitive. slang. To die; (formerly also) †to be ruined (obsolete).
- walk1858To go away, leave, depart. intransitive. Simply or with away, forth. Formerly often in imperative in sense ‘begone’, with a vocative of some term of…
- to go bung1859–To die. Now rare.
- snuff1864–intransitive. To die. slang or colloquial. Also const. out.
- U.S., etc. U.S. slang. to go or be up the flume: to ‘come to grief’, ‘be done for’; to die.
- to pass outc1867–intransitive. To die. Cf. to pass away at phrasal verbs PV.1. Now chiefly U.S. regional.
- 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…
- the majority: the dead. Chiefly in phrases to join the majority and to go (also pass over) to the majority: to die. Now rare.
- to cash in1884–to cash in figurative. To die. (Also without in.) Also with checks as object.
- snuff1885–With it: = 3a. slang.
- perch1886intransitive. 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.
- to belly up1886–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…
- to kick the bucket1889–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…
- off1890–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…
- to knock over1892–intransitive. To succumb; to die. colloquial or slang.
- to pass over1897–intransitive. figurative. To die.
- to stop one1901–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,…
- to pass in1904–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…
- 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…
- 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.
- pip1913–intransitive. To die. Also with out. Now rare.
- to cop it1915–To be injured or damaged, esp. seriously or irreparably. Frequently: spec. to die, to be killed.
- to cross over1915–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…
- conk1917–intransitive. To break down, give out, fail, or show signs of failing; to die, collapse, or lose consciousness. Also figurative. Also with out.
- to check out1921–intransitive. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to check out: to die. Cf. sense IV.16e.
- to kick off1921–To die. slang (originally U.S.).
- to pack up1925–intransitive. colloquial (chiefly British). = to pack in at phrasal verbs.
- to step off1926–intransitive. To die. Cf. to step out at phrasal verbs PV.1. slang. rare.
- to take the ferry1928–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…
- cross1930–To pass over a line, boundary, river, channel, etc.; to pass from one side to the other of any space. euphemistic. To die.
- peg1931–intransitive. slang. To die; also transitive with it as object. Cf. to peg out 3 at phrasal verbs.
- to meet one's Maker1933–to meet one's Maker: (in extended use) to die; (sometimes humorously, of a thing) to be destroyed.
- to kiss off1935–to kiss off slang, (a) transitive to dismiss, get rid of, kill (see also quot. 1935); (b) intransitive to go away, die.
- to crease it1959–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…
- zonk1968–intransitive. To fail; to lose consciousness, to die.
- cark1977–intransitive. To die.
- to bite it1977–North American slang. to bite it: = to bite the dust at phrases P.1b.
- to cark it1979–transitive. to cark it: to die. (Now the more common use.)
- to take a dirt nap1981–Death; an instance of dying. Frequently in to take a dirt nap: to die.
the world physical sensation physical sensibility physical insensibility unconsciousness [intransitive verbs] lose consciousness- to forget oneself1390–to forget oneself. To lose consciousness.
- zonk1968–intransitive. To fail; to lose consciousness, to die.
- 3.Const. out.
- 3.a.1970–intransitive. To fall heavily asleep.
- 1970
He left me at seven a.m. and I zonked out until after mid-day.
J. Sangster, Touchfeather, Too iii. 75 - 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
the world physical sensation sleeping and waking sleep [intransitive verbs] go to sleep or fall asleep deeply or soundly- to flake (out)1942–to flake (out): to faint, fall asleep (from exhaustion, drunkenness, etc.). So flaked (out) participial adjective, exhausted; unconscious, asleep…
- zonk1970–Const. out. intransitive. To fall heavily asleep.
- 3.b.1973–transitive. To overcome or knock out (in figurative senses).
- 1973
I sank into my bed.., zonked myself out with sleeping pills, and woke up Friday.
Australian Women's Weekly 26 December 32/5 - 1980
It's J. R.'s power that zonks women out.
Telegraph (Brisbane) 21 March 6/3 - 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
the world action or operation prosperity success mastery or superiority [transitive verbs] have or gain mastery or superiority over overcome or overwhelm completely or overthrow- allayOld English–1400transitive. To bring down, overthrow (a person, nation, etc.); to reduce to submission. Obsolete.
- fellOld English–figurative. transitive. To bring down, ruin, humiliate; to defeat, destroy.
- quellOld English–transitive. To crush or overcome (a person or thing); to subdue, oppress; to reduce to submission, silence, etc.; †to force down to (obsolete)…
- shrenchOld English–1400transitive. To put a stumbling-block in the way of; to overthrow; to entrap; to deceive.
- to bring to the groundc1175–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…
- forlesec1200–1591transitive. To bring to ruin, put to shame, confound; also, to lead astray to one's ruin. (Usually in passive.)
- to lay downa1225–transitive †To put down, overthrow (obsolete). Also Nautical of wind or sea: To make (a vessel) lie on its side.
- acastc1225–transitive. To cast down, throw down, cast away or off; to overcome. Now only as past participle: downcast, dejected.
- accumberc1275–transitive. To encumber, overwhelm, oppress.
- confound1297–transitive. To defeat utterly, discomfit, bring to ruin, destroy, overthrow, rout, bring to nought (an adversary). Obsolete or archaic.
- cumber1303–1600transitive. To overwhelm, overthrow, rout, destroy. Obsolete.
- overthrowc1375–transitive. To cast down (a person or group of people) from a position of influence, prosperity, etc. Also: to defeat, conquer, overcome; to ruin…
- to beat downa1387–transitive. To overcome, defeat, or conquer (an enemy, etc.). Frequently figurative: to defeat or overthrow (an institution, attitude, etc.).
- cumrayc1425–1522= cumber, v. 1, to overwhelm, rout.
- overquell?c1450–1635transitive. To quell, overcome, subdue.
- overwhelvec1450–1618transitive. To overthrow; to bring to ruin. Cf. overwhelm, v. 2. rare.
- 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…
- prostrate1531–In extended use. transitive. To make submissive, humble; to overcome, overpower; to reduce to helplessness. Now usually in passive.
- quash1556–transitive. To crush, quell, or utterly subdue (a person); to squash.
- couch1577–1671figurative. To put down, quell, suppress, lay. Obsolete.
- unhorse1577–figurative. To dislodge, overthrow, discomfit, nonplus.
- prosternate1593–1653transitive. To cast down or lay low; = prostern, v.
- overbeata1616–transitive. To beat (a person or thing) down; to overpower, overwhelm. Now rare.
- unchariot1715–(un-, prefix² affix 1c.)
- topple1791–transitive. To bring about the downfall or end of (something); to overthrow; spec. to remove (a government or person in authority) from power.
- floor1828–In various figurative uses. colloquial. To overcome in any way; to beat, defeat, prove too much for. to floor the odds (see quot. 1893).
- quench1841–transitive. To put (a person) down; to reduce to silence; to quell. Now rare.
- to knock over1852–transitive. To overthrow by, or as if by, a blow; to prostrate. Also figurative.
- fling1889–figurative. To give a fall to, cause to fall, overthrow. Also Scottish, to jilt.
- to throw down1890–transitive. slang (chiefly U.S.). To overcome, conquer, defeat.
- steamroller1912–figurative. To crush or break down, as with a steamroller; to ride roughshod over; to overwhelm or squash. Frequently in political contexts.
- wipe1972–transitive. With out. Of drink, etc.: to render intoxicated or senseless. Also figurative, to overwhelm. slang (originally U.S.).
- zonk1973–Const. out. transitive. To overcome or knock out (in figurative senses).
Pronunciation
British English
U.S. English
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
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
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 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
- zonking, adj. 1958–
- zonked, adj. 1959–Intoxicated by drugs or alcohol; ‘stoned’…