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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Llamas smacked 139 hits in her career, Kyles 136.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
In his first three games of the season, Bryant had 350 receiving yards to go along with four touchdowns, before an all-too familiar foe smacked him down with a brutal punishment.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Robinson responded with a forearm to Wembanyama’s neck that either knocked him to the ground or gave sufficient cover for a flop.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
-
Last September, a fire at a South Korean data center knocked 647 government services offline.—
Leonard Lim,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The small, but spirited, Peruvian fan group in the north stands banged its drums and waved flags, finally able to be part of the party.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
-
Founders of Avatech’s mentee companies, seated in front of their laptops, clapped and banged their hands on tables to the distinctive stomp-stomp-clap beat of the song as an electric guitar wailed.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Rojas slapped a single up the middle to put the Royals ahead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
According to the affidavit, another pupil was allegedly slapped in the face three times.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
-
Right fielder Jung Hoo Lee saw his 18-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the majors entering play, come to an end after going hitless in three at-bats.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Among those arrested was a woman who allegedly punched a police officer.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
9 June 2026
-
Emily Dunn then responded with a goal for Walpole, but Duxbury punched right back via the stick of Emma Prouty.—
Justin Barrasso,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Additionally, Wallen was also slammed by several local figures.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
-
Without hesitation, Towns drove past the 7-4 unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, and slammed home a finish.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The wacky misplay happened during the top of the fourth inning on June 2, when Rockies third baseman TJ Rumfield whacked a deep fly to right field, which then grazed off the left side of Adell’s glove and off the top of his head.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
-
The Labour government has whacked levies on private schools, introduced mansion taxes and is attempting to redistribute the nation’s wealth at a pace that would make Vladimir Lenin weep with joy.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bonked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonked. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
