as in smacked
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
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Recent Examples of bonked
With eight minutes left in the contest, Kempe bonked Cale Makar in the back of the head, then went to the box for mixing it up with captain Gabe Landeskog, who came to Makar’s defense, shortly thereafter.
—
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026
Their fight is to be continued next week, and whether or not another member of the deck team gets bonked on the head remains to be determined.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2026
Their fight is to be continued next week, and whether or not another member of the deck team gets bonked on the head remains to be determined.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonked
Verb
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For the viewer, the satisfaction comes through vicarious tactile sensation—witnessing how the thatch gets smacked in by a flat, hammerlike device, or the way a tile slots perfectly into a shelf niche.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
17 June 2026
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Then, on June 15, 2025, in Kansas City, Kurtz smacked a go-ahead homer off then-Royals closer Carlos Estévez.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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If the 348 was one of the few forgettable Ferraris, its successor knocked it out of the park with peerless styling, an exotic five-valve-per-cylinder V-8, and a quantum leap in performance.—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
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There was Peninsula, which had knocked Harvard-Westlake from the playoffs during their freshman year.—
gqlshare,
Daily News,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The Americans gradually amplified their attack centered around Pulisic’s runs — and three minutes after an apparent goal from Balogun was erased by an offside call, Pulisic again drove the left side and got a deflected pass to the trailing Balogun, who banged it home.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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Instead, both hesitated, their feet tangled and a charging Healy banged in the loose ball.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Aranda slapped an outside changeup on a line down the leftfield line, and the ball struck the screen on the fair side of foul pole for a three-run homer.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2026
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The Days of Our Lives actress slapped Today show anchor Craig Melvin mid-interview.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Israeli strikes hit several towns in southern Lebanon on Saturday morning local time, killing at least five people, Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported, despite Israel and Hezbollah renewing their truce Friday.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
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Temperatures are expected to soar on June 22 in parts of Oregon and Washington, possibly hitting 100 degrees in Portland and at least 90 degrees in Seattle.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Federico Valverde's powerful 67th minute free kick from the left is punched away by Al-Owais.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
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Chicago police are asking for help finding the man who punched a woman in the head at a CTA Pink Line stop last week in the North Lawndale neighborhood.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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During a press conference in the Panhandle on Tuesday, Collins took off his prosthetic leg and slammed it on the podium in response to a question from a reporter.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
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But Republican rival Steve Hilton slammed the group for political opportunism.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
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The experience was not entirely dissimilar to getting whacked in the skull.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
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Hastings whacked a triple down the right-field line to bring in two runs and give the Diamonds a 3-2 lead.—
Latif Love
June 18,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bonked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonked. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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