What it means
Means completely exhausted, like you’ve hit the off switch. It can describe someone fast asleep, half-asleep on the train, or too tired to form a sentence. Sits in the same lane as knackered but with more of that lights out vibe. Perfect after a grim shift, a heavy night out, or parenting marathons.
Usage examples
"After that double shift I got home, kicked my shoes off, and was zonked by eight, telly still on and curry untouched."
"After the night feeds with the twins in Bristol my wife was zonked by half seven on Sunday evening, telly on, cup of tea cold, head on the cushion, and the dogs deciding she was their new bed."
"Three days of moving house in Birmingham left me proper zonked, I sat down on the new sofa to eat a chip butty and woke up at midnight still holding the paper bag in my left hand."
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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