Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary
thesaurus
view recents

zonk

verb
Save Word
\ ˈzäŋk How to pronounce zonk (audio) , ˈzȯŋk \
zonked; zonking; zonks

Definition of zonk

transitive verb

: stun, stupefy also : strike, zap —often used with out

intransitive verb

: to pass out from or as if from alcohol or a drug —often used with out

Examples of zonk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web New adventures expend both their mental and physical energy, and usually zonk them out afterward. — Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, "Is your dog bored, anxious? Here are 5 ways to make dogs happy," 11 Mar. 2021 Relatively few zonked rock fans heard the only important piece of music to come out of the 1969 get-together. — Robert Christgau, Los Angeles Times, "Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Star Spangled Banner’ is the anthem we need in the age of Trump," 13 Aug. 2019 So what happens if your car heater zonks out in mid-January? — Zachary Palmer, Popular Mechanics, "How To Fix Your Car's Heater," 11 Nov. 2019 When her mom was zonked out, Sandi’s older sister Rhonda stepped in as a surrogate parent, making Sandi, the baby of the family, dinner and taking her to school. — cleveland.com, "NEXT:," 24 Sep. 2019 Surprising Factoid: Even zonked on sleeping pills, one can still order fur coats and a restaurant’s worth of Chinese food. — Alison Murphy, WSJ, "3 Books That Teach You How to Concentrate in a Digital Age," 16 Nov. 2018 By this time, everybody is off the bus rolling in the brown grass by the shoulder, laughing, giggling, yahooing, zonked to the skies on acid, because, mon, the woods are burning, the whole world is on fire. — Jeet Heer, The New Republic, "Tom Wolfe reunited journalism with literature.," 15 May 2018 In today’s episode of Mean Guys, Denny takes his five-iron home in a huff because Bubba is spreading rumors in the clubhouse about Denny getting zonked on some kind of crazy juice. — George Diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Jimmie Johnson vows to rise up despite age-old circumstances," 27 Feb. 2018 And struggling to hold the phone to your ear because your biceps are so freaking zonked? — K. Aleisha Fetters, SELF, "Let’s Stop Using Sore Muscles as a Badge of Honor," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'zonk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of zonk

1950, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

History and Etymology for zonk

probably imitative

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about zonk

Statistics for zonk

Last Updated

14 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Zonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zonk. Accessed 11 Apr. 2021.

Style: MLA
MLACheck Mark Icon ChicagoCheck Mark Icon APACheck Mark Icon Merriam-WebsterCheck Mark Icon

Comments on zonk

What made you want to look up zonk? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

drub

Listen to the pronunciation of drub

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

  • one green toy robot amidst many red toy robots
  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
AlphaBear 2

Spell words. Make bears.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games