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
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Recent Examples of bonking
Seffrin and his team note that their study suggests that men might be able to thwart bonking by running slower in the first half of a marathon and getting continually faster as the race progresses, a pacing strategy known as negative splitting.
—
Claire Maldarelli,
Scientific American,
2 July 2026
Those misses rarely occurred in season two, but three episodes into this season, the bat is flying wildly around the stadium, bonking people in the head in a freak mass-casualty bat-event.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
Watch the baby birds bonking at the video at the top of the story.
—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
Claire Maldarelli,
Scientific American,
2 July 2026
Those misses rarely occurred in season two, but three episodes into this season, the bat is flying wildly around the stadium, bonking people in the head in a freak mass-casualty bat-event.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
Watch the baby birds bonking at the video at the top of the story.
—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonking
Verb
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Deputies responded to a report of a driver smacking his car into a guardrail in front of The Bridge Restaurant before driving away, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
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As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.
Verb
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Leveraged ETFs that aim to amplify SpaceX’s performance by providing double the returns (or losses) are already hitting the market.
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Ahead of the impending heat wave hitting the Pittsburgh area, Allegheny County officials have activated a Code Red Heat Advisory for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Verb
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The Atlas Lions made the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, breaking through the glass ceiling that CAF teams had been banging their heads on for decades at the quarter-final stage.
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While the cameras were rolling, Spielberg would stand just out of frame with two wooden bats, banging them together to startle her.
Verb
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There was briefly some concern earlier this year that Chestnut wouldn’t be able to participate in the 2026 competition after he was arrested for allegedly slapping a man in an Indiana bar.
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Chestnut competed in the event while serving a 180-day probation sentence after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from drunkenly slapping a man in an Indiana bar earlier this year.
Verb
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And take the Exit Readiness Quiz to understand exactly where the gaps are before any business buyer comes knocking.
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Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
Verb
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Halty embraces the way Senda Athletics is punching above its weight as a sportswear brand in a tournament full of global brands and stars.
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An impromptu blind date with a handsome rapist ends with Esther punching him square in the nose, his blood gushing through her fingers.
Verb
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An on-and-off again rivalry during the primary The two men shared a similar message during the primary, slamming Democrats for mismanaging the state and calling for tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks.
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Also in 2007, Spencer was sentenced concurrently to seven years in prison for choking a woman, slamming her head to the ground, and robbing her of her cellphone, and for smashing into a woman's car and ransacking it, prosecutors said.
Verb
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Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.
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And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
Cite this Entry
“Bonking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonking. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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