conk out

conk out

1. slang To fall asleep. He was so tired after his long day at work that he conked out during the movie.
2. slang Of a machine, to break or completely lose functionality. Judging by all that noise coming from her car, I'm pretty sure it's about to conk out. The blender stopped working again today—it must be ready to conk out.
3. To faint. Sarah conked out as soon as she crossed the finish line, but luckily her boyfriend was able to catch her.
4. To die. When Jared has any sort of illness, he immediately frets that he's going to conk out.
See also: conk, out
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

conk out

1. Stop functioning, fail, as in The engine finally conked out. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
2. Fall asleep, as in Every evening he conked out in front of the television set. [1940s]
3. Faint or collapse, as in I don't know if it was the heat, but she suddenly conked out. [1920s]
4. Die, as in He's paranoid about conking out and he's only twenty! [Late 1920s]
See also: conk, out
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

conk out

v. Slang
1. To fail to function; cease to be useful, effective, or operable: My computer conked out on me. The car's engine conked out halfway through the race.
2. To go to sleep, especially due to exhaustion: I conked out after studying all night.
3. To lose consciousness or awareness: He conked out after being hit by the ball. She took some medicine and conked out.
4. To cause someone or something to lose consciousness or awareness: The ball hit the goalie's head and conked her out. The mugger conked him out and grabbed his briefcase.
See also: conk, out
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

conk out

1. in. [for someone] to collapse, and perhaps fall asleep. I was so tired I just went home and conked out.
2. in. [for something] to break down; to quit running. I hope my computer doesn’t conk out.
See also: conk, out
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

conk out, to

Fall asleep or lose consciousness. This colloquialism was coined by aviators during World War I. It was thought to be imitative of the noise an engine makes just before it breaks down completely. The term is still used for mechanical failures, but by the mid-1900s it was being applied to human beings. Thus, Maurice Herzog had it in Annapurna (1952): “I told Lionel that rather than conk out next day on the slope, it seemed far better for me to go down.”
See also: conk
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • conk out, to
  • conk
  • conk off
  • juice
  • juiced
  • blimp
  • blimp out
  • gun
  • guns
  • brassic lint
References in periodicals archive
Though the cheetah might outsprint the pronghorn on the short track, the big cat would conk out after 30 seconds.
Life in the fast lane
Probably just a coincidence that the limo chose that very moment to conk out.
Whitby's no show speaks volumes
The British Medical Association claim we must pay more for our booze or our livers will soon conk out, but that's a small price to pay for revelry.
Booze a clever boy, Cameron; RESULT!
b con The British Medical Association claim we must pay more for our booze or our livers will soon conk out, but that's a small price to pay for revelry.
Booze a clever boy, Cameron; IN ASSOCIATION WITH
I've just bought LED bulbs for our kitchen and apparently I'll conk out before them, and they also use a lot less electricity.
New R8's light years in front
And the Sunderland striker's black Cadillac Escalade 4x4 just had to conk out at Newcastle's Tyne Bridge.
Stuck star's car Toon-up; FOOTBALL
THOUSANDS of drivers were fuming last night after dodgy supermarket petrol made their cars conk out.
PETROL CHUMPS; Thousands of cars crocked by dodgy fuel
Eileen Middleton, who has looked after Nico since he was found in a garage in Airdrie, said: "One minute he will be playing with the other cats, then he'll stop, roll over and conk out.
Cat-napping Nico is a real knockout