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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Fireworks lit up the night sky, people honked horns on jampacked streets and firefighters — from their trucks — slapped high-fives with delirious fans.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Do not read this if my editors have slapped a closeup of cochliomyia hominivorax, aka nightmare flesh-eating parasite, on top of this column.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
12 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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A little over a month later, another spell of freezing weather bullied its way into Central Florida and slammed the remaining citrus groves that had just started to recover.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
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Rob Stewart was slammed by fans for jetting off to attend Scotland's FIFA World Cup match in Boston less than a day after the rocker canceled a concert in California due to health issues.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Mitchell Robinson elbow checked him in the face, Jose Alvarado pulled off a single-legged take-down in the first half, and Towns drew a frustration flagrant foul when Wembanyama whacked him in the face.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
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The Knicks are also getting whacked every time down the court.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bonked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonked. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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