to zonk out
2
8.3
- phrasal verb
- /zɔŋk aʊt/
- Informal
:
quedarse dormido
- After the exhausting hike, we all zoned out for a few hours to recharge.
Examples
-
Once the movie started, he zonked out within ten minutes and missed the entire story.
-
She, uh, is zonked out on pain meds, poor thing.
-
I zonked out for a couple of hours; look what I missed!
Blog text (34) -
I was zonked out by then.
Blog text (10) -
"Did some singing for a while, then zonked out.
Fiction book (1991) -
I watched a little television and then zonked out.
Blog text (31) -
I put my head down on my pillow and I am fast asleep, zonked out in five minutes flat, less if I have done yoga that day.
Blog text (2) -
After a long day at work, I sat on the couch and quickly zonked out without even realizing it.
Synonyms
188
3.7
To faint or lose consciousness suddenly
46
5.4
To suddenly lose consciousness for a short time
43
2.3
To sleep lightly for a short time without meaning to
35
2.7
To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to
23
3.8
To slowly fall asleep without meaning to
12
4.1
To fall asleep for a short time without meaning to
7
8.1
To stop working suddenly or to fall asleep because of tiredness
5
3.0
To fall asleep for a short time, often without meaning to
4
3.7
To go to bed and fall asleep quickly because you are tired
2
7.9
To fall asleep by accident because you are very tired
1
7.6
To fall asleep suddenly because you are very tired
To begin to fall asleep without meaning to
To sleep for a short time
Antonyms
How Fast
188
3.7
- Informal
2
8.3
- Informal
12
4.1
- Informal
35
2.7
376
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
zonk + out
The verb 'zonk' is slang/onomatopoeic and is not a predictable, dictionary-derived lexical item, while 'out' only adds a general sense of completeness or unconsciousness. The combined meaning 'to fall asleep or lose consciousness quickly' is an informal, language-specific usage that cannot be reliably derived from the parts by a B1 learner, so the expression is idiomatic and unpredictable.
Etymology
Zonk out probably comes from comic-book sound words like zonk for a hard hit and the word out for being unconscious. Imagine a cartoon 'ZONK!' and someone falling down — that picture explains why zonk out means 'to fall asleep' or 'to lose consciousness' from extreme tiredness.