Zonk

//zɒŋk// noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An unfavorable card or token, or undesirable or worthless item used as a prize in a contest or game show (such as Let's Make a Deal). slang

    "There will always be two doors that hold zonks, so regardless of whether you initially chose the grand prize or a zonk, Monty will always be able to show you a zonk not chosen."

  2. 2
    The feeling of a drug taking hold. slang
  3. 3
    A cigarette hand-rolled from tobacco and cannabis. slang
Verb
  1. 1
    To hit hard . slang, transitive
  2. 2
    To make (someone) sleepy or delirious, to put into a stupor . slang, transitive
  3. 3
    To become exhausted, sleepy or delirious. intransitive, slang, usually

    "After two hours of studying, I zonked out."

Example

More examples

"There will always be two doors that hold zonks, so regardless of whether you initially chose the grand prize or a zonk, Monty will always be able to show you a zonk not chosen."

Etymology

First attested around 1950. Unknown origin, likely imitative, of echoic origin.

Related phrases

zonk out

More for "zonk"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.