as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
an overhead branch suddenly fell and bonked him on the head
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonking
Verb
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Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle for most home runs in one season for a switch hitter after smacking his 54th dinger yesterday.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025 -
Troy Dye replaced Perryman, smacking Mahomes with a pair of solid hits on scrambles, and is likely to fill in again if Perryman can’t play.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But then Lacey was back with the kids, banging around in the kitchen, and the first of the evening’s friends and acquaintances began to show up and the blessedness passed, as had the roadrunner, hyperactive and vigilant and always on the make, gone off to seek somebody else’s snakes.—
T. Coraghessan Boyle,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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When Weimers went on to give up his remaining speaking time for a moment of silence, Vice President Katarina Barley cut him off, sparking desk-banging protests from right-wing lawmakers in the chamber.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Vaquer secured the pinfall after hitting a spiral tap.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
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The Rockies, who snapped a five-game losing streak and won for just the second time in their last 13 games, won via timely hitting and stellar work by the bullpen.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lewis stepped outside, the freezing wind slapping her in the face, and started walking.—
Jason Kane,
NBC news,
15 Sep. 2025
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Trade tensions between Beijing and Washington have been on a rollercoaster ride in 2025, with both sides slapping escalating tariffs on each other.—
AFP,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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All we were focused on was just containing him, knocking the pocket back, just trying to keep him in the pocket, and forcing the football.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
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No texts, no phone calls, no IMs—just walking over to their house, knocking on the door, and hanging out together?—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The video, which bears a watermark suggesting it was livestreamed on the video platform Kick, showed Jackson straddling Smith before repeatedly punching him in the face and the side of his head, even when Smith was lying motionless.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
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New defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman harps on takeaways, and Smith is adept at punching the ball out of the hands of running backs and receivers.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Demonstrators carried signs slamming Disney, ABC, the FCC and the TV station group owners who dealt the fatal blow to Kimmel by declaring that he would be preempted in heartland markets such as Nashville, New Orleans and Salt Lake City.—
Dan Doperalski,
Variety,
19 Sep. 2025
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But then, less than two years later, a punishing atmospheric river storm sent a large redwood tree crashing down the steep slopes of the forest, slamming into the main bridge and causing other damage to the new facilities.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
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New York put the screws to its division rival on Tuesday, whacking nine home runs to cruise to a 13-3 victory.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bonking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonking. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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