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
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
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonked
Verb
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In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few feet over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Brent Burns set up Landeskog’s one-timer from the high slot on the heels of a strong burst by MacKinnon, who had smacked a one-timer of his own in off the rush following Kempe’s errant pass at the offensive blue line.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lobbyists, Staples said, had the debate wrapped up tight long before the farmers even knocked the dirt off their boots and entered Congress.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Police said the crash knocked both the operator and his passenger off the e-scooter.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, Freeny banged for loose balls and rebounds and helped limit Cornhuskers’ guard Pryce Sandfort to nine points on nine field-goal attempts.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Necas banged home the rebound of a MacKinnon shot, but one of the officials blew a whistle, thinking that Forsberg had control of the puck.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From there, Grahovac slapped a base hit past the third baseman to drive Sorrell home.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
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South Africa last year said the US had applied pressure on Pretoria to end laws aimed at redressing wealth imbalances caused by apartheid, and Washington later slapped a 30% tariff on many South African exports — the highest on the continent.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In seeing their six-game winning streak halted just before hitting the friendly skies for a four-game road trip that tips off in Phoenix on Sunday, the Hornets (32-32) were victimized by Miami in the fourth quarter.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Mar. 2026
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Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch in the fifth to push the Americans’ lead to 4-1.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors said, on Friday, Marshall punched her 11-year-old son in the face, giving him a bloody nose, and poured dish soap down his mouth and into his ear.—
Shardaa Gray,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Here’s a look at the dates and sites for each conference tournament and the winners that have punched their tickets to March Madness.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has taken steps to improve relations with North Korea, but North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has slammed the overtures and laid out his vision for more nuclear development.—
Soo-hyang Choi,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Foster immediately checked out of the game, slammed his fist on a chair and screamed when trainers probed at his right foot, then went back to Duke’s locker room.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When players from the United States and Czechia whacked their sticks on the ice in unison during warmups, the sound rattled out like a shot.—
The Sports Desk,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Walker is making $20 million this season and whacked a team-leading 27 home runs in 2025.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bonked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonked. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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