conk out

• konk out

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

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

1. (intransitive, informal) To fall fast asleep; to sleep soundly.

   Synonym: zonk out

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

   • 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^[1], season 7, episode 2, spoken by Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito):

     “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.”

2. (intransitive, informal) To stop functioning.

   The old car conked out halfway up the hill.

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

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

3. (intransitive, informal) To die.

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

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

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