to conk

Examples

• All

• I mean, in case one of the engines conked out?

  The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)

• The heater conked out.

  Meet the Fockers (2004)

• Yeah, but those things conk out all the time.

  The Lost Tribe (2009)

• Not bad, but if we try to go too high, it conks out a little bit.

  Linus Tech Tips

• First, my car conks out for no good reason.

  The Quiet American (1958)

• I tried to make it to the next exit but it conked out.

  The Old Man & the Gun (2018)

• I wish I'd seen your face when the car conked out.

  Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

• My landlord came and fixed it, and it worked for a while; then two of the burners conked out.

  Blog text (18)

• If the dishwasher or air conditioner conks out, these kids will pull it apart and figure out what's wrong.

  Blog text (11)

• While driving on the freeway, my car suddenly conked out, leaving me stranded on the side of the road.

Synonyms

D

to die

vsto conk

498 4.6

To stop working, often suddenly

is informal and usually means a sudden temporary stoppage

F

to fail

vsto conk

370 2.2

Stop working properly, as a machine or part

is informal and denotes sudden unexpected stoppage rather than general failure

C

to crash

vsto conk

• Specialized

156 3.2

To stop working suddenly, especially for a computer or program

is informal and refers more to engines stopping unexpectedly

C

to cut out

vsto conk

45 4.1

To stop working suddenly

is informal and often used for engines rather than systems

S

to stall

vsto conk

36 3.9

To stop running suddenly, often because of a fault

is informal and focuses on sudden unexpected breakdowns rather than slow faults

C

to conk out

vsto conk

• Informal

7 8.1

To stop working suddenly or to fall asleep because of tiredness

is the single-word informal form of the same sudden stoppage

F

to fritz

vsto conk

• Informal

1 8.0

To stop working properly, often about machines

is informal and stresses abrupt complete stoppage rather than poor function

Antonyms

F

to function

441 2.6

To work in a particular role or job

Phrasal Verbs

C

to conk out

• Informal

7 8.1

To stop working suddenly or to fall asleep because of tiredness

C

to conk one's head

• Informal

8.1

To accidentally hit your head against something

How Functional

to run

∞ 2.2

malfunction

96 4.5

to conk

• Informal

3 7.9

to break down

194 3.2

to seize up

8 6.5

Surface Forms

Etymology