Thesaurus results for BONKING

bonking

verb

present participle of bonk

as in smacking

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

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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 bonking Seffrin and his team note that their study suggests that men might be able to thwart bonking by running slower in the first half of a marathon and getting continually faster as the race progresses, a pacing strategy known as negative splitting. — Claire Maldarelli, Scientific American, 2 July 2026 Those misses rarely occurred in season two, but three episodes into this season, the bat is flying wildly around the stadium, bonking people in the head in a freak mass-casualty bat-event. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 22 June 2026 Watch the baby birds bonking at the video at the top of the story. — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonking

Verb

Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Catcher Daniel Susac followed up Wednesday’s two-home-run game by smacking a two-run shot, and the Giants bullpen didn’t break down while protecting a 4-1 victory.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of smacking

Verb

Iamaleava looked poised in the pocket, going through multiple reads and hitting pass catchers across the field in an array of spots and formations.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Rising fuel prices caused by the instability at the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb straits are hitting farmers in parts of the West just as harvest season opens.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of hitting

Verb

Sox right fielder Tristan Peters suffered a bruised shoulder/rib while banging into the outfield wall on Kevin McGonigle’s three-run triple in the fifth inning.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
In 2015, Ben Hiscox died after falling backwards and banging his head on the clubhouse wall during an amateur game at Stoke Gifford, near Bristol.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of banging

Verb

Canada is slapping hefty counter-tariffs on farm machinery, such as combine parts, mowing equipment and livestock trailers.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
He was asked about the interaction, and briefly talked about seeing all the reaction videos on X, including the AI one with Sarkisian slapping Rowe.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of slapping

Verb

According to court documents, a woman told police that Pace, who was her child’s father, was inside her residence when her boyfriend, Adams, arrived and began knocking loudly on the door.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Next, the door becomes his battering ram, knocking three enemies down to the landing below him.

— Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of knocking

Verb

Since the turn of the century, car makers have been among the crown jewels of the German economy, punching above their weight in terms of investment and innovation.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026
See, the way my thighs are set up, running long distance in a pair of shorty shorts would just mean punching a one-way ticket to Chafe-town.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

New physics may only manifest at high-energy levels, the sort of energies that the LHC generates by slamming together protons at near light speed.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Suddenly, a 2004 Ford Expedition barreled into the intersection from the wrong direction at a high rate of speed, slamming into the middle of the bus.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of slamming

Verb

There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.

— Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Yes, there were moments of humor, such as getting magic potions around the campfire at the end of each stage by whacking helpless little elves, but most of it was played straight, to great effect.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of whacking

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bonking

bonks

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“Bonking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonking. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bonking

verb

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