Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zonk

/zɔːŋk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.57 in modern English

Syllables: zonk
IPA: /zɔːŋk/

17

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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

noun

The feeling of a drug taking hold.

Slang

noun

A cigarette hand-rolled from tobacco and cannabis.

Slang

verb

Slang; Transitive verb

verb

To make (someone) sleepy or delirious, to put into a stupor.

Slang; Transitive verb

verb

To become exhausted, sleepy, or delirious.

Intransitive verb; Slang

Example Sentences

"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."
"A live, mane-embellished, SAG-card-carrying lion, I should point out, who was likely being staged for a few minutes off to the side before he would be used as a freaking “Zonk!” on a freaking game show, for crying out loud."
"A zonk was way overdue, yet the boys knew that the Seniors knew they would think this was a zonk and would trick the boys by making this another real prize."
"I have three empty coffee cans, two with prizes and one with a slip of paper that says "Zonk.""
"Avoid the Zonk / On the TV show Let's Make a Deal, contestants often had to choose between three curtains."
"Once a contestant picked a door, Monty would often open one of the other two doors to reveal a zonk,[…]"

Etymology

First attested in c. 1950. Unknown origin, likely imitative, of echoic origin.

Origin

First known use: First attested in c. 1950

Usage

Inflected Forms

zonks (plural) zoink (alternative) zonks (present, singular) zonking (participle, present) zonked (participle, past) zonked (past)

Derived Forms

zonked

Phrases

zonk out

Rhymes With

mont blanc honk conch tonk bonk donk plonk bronc conk gonk squonk clonk

Questions

How do you pronounce zonk?: The recorded pronunciation is /zɔːŋk/.
What does zonk mean?: 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).
Where does zonk come from?: First known use: First attested in c. 1950.

How to pronounce zonk

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “zonk”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/zɔːŋk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “zonk”.
Repeat and practice — Say “zonk” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.