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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Within seconds, Perez smacked a cellphone out of the man's hand, swung at his head and tackled him to the ground.—
Sheridan Hendrix,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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After accepting a cross-ice pass from Ryan McDonagh, Kucherov smacked a one-timer from outside the right faceoff dot over Swayman’s glove, tying the score at 5-5.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cooper went up for a fast-break dunk and Jamerson knocked him to the floor.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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In his complaint, Rodriguez alleges the punch from Garcia knocked him unconscious.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic’s lunchroom, downstairs, was where Claude banged its head against walls in real life.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Saturday in the Battle at the Bay at Mission Bay High School, the last big event before the end of the regular season, Montgomery fell behind by 17 points, went on a 16-0 run, and then lost 57-56 to Steele Canyon when a desperation last-second shot banged off the rim.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Beware of the word ‘spread’ slapped across anything passing itself off as pimento cheese.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
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The league also slapped the Pistons’ Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart with suspensions.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Elsewhere, stories of economic gloom – from galloping inflation to restaurant closures and the knock-on impact of severe tax increases – describe the many ways in which the prolonged war in Ukraine is now hitting Russians hard in the pocket at home.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Finally, Kylie Minogue bags another top 40 hit thanks to the release of Tension Tour/Live 2025 (Mushroom Music) on CD and vinyl.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Witnesses said LaBeouf was thrown out of the bar for being aggressive, then punched someone several times outside.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
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When police intervened, multiple arrests were made, including a student who allegedly punched an officer, which required staples in the officer’s head to treat, according to police.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bigger fish slammed prey in a shallow pool next to the bank.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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Sherrill slammed the political back-and-forth, pointing out all the money spent on legal fees for a project Congress already approved.—
Alice Gainer,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 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 21 Feb. 2026.
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