conks out
Stops working abruptly
Conks out means to stop working suddenly or to fall asleep from exhaustion.
Machines conk out when they fail: The engine conked out halfway up the hill.
People conk out when they collapse into sleep: He conked out on the couch after dinner.
The phrase suggests abruptness—things don't wind down, they simply quit.
- diesStops being alive
- failBe unsuccessful
- nod offFall briefly unconscious
- drift offBegin sleeping gradually
- seize upSuddenly stop functioning
breaks down · on the fritz · shut down · power down · malfunction · gives up the ghost · go belly up · crash · goes wrong · hit the wall · short-circuit · faint · dead battery · blackout · jam · run down · gives up · call it quits
- falling asleepfell asleep, dozes, dozed off, nods off, nodded off
- breaks downfalls apart, collapses, crumbles, disintegrates, analyzes
functionality/operational state
conks outstarts up
Begins operating
kicks in · fires up · comes to life · boots up · powers on