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
  1. smacking
  2. hitting
  3. banging
  4. slapping
  5. knocking
  6. punching
  7. slamming
  8. whacking
Verb
  • But Varma and Shivam Dube (27) upped the ante in the final three overs by smacking 57 runs against Sufyan Moqim, Ayub and Ahmed Daniyal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • The brother will provoke him by hitting him first and saying cruel things, typically about me.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Shortly after the conversation began, Soho pulled out a handgun and shot at the officers, hitting two of them, according to the GBI.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of hitting
Verb
  • Plus, Skullcandy's Crusher Bass technology utilizes dedicated bass drivers to really give you a head-banging experience, sending bone-shattering bass pulsating through your skull.
    — George Yang, PC Magazine, 30 Oct. 2026
  • And although the set wasn’t particularly long, Charli rocked it, sending heads banging everywhere.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • The loose straps on my backpack were snapping and slapping like whips.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Surveillance camera footage of the altercation shows one of the men slapping the tourist before the other suspect punches the victim in the face, knocking him to the ground.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Its 90 minutes begin with an interviewer knocking on Smith’s door.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
  • His coalition ended up knocking on 200,000 doors, of which about 95% were Latino households, Montemayor said.
    — Linh Tat, Daily News, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • Several people were seen punching each other and rolling around on the ground.
    — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Gerald later forced his way into the child's room and tried to stab her with a knife before kicking and punching her, the documents said.
    — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • Other archeologists echoed her criticism, slamming the project for spreading misinformation and taking credit away from archeologists, who have been using advanced digital tools in their work for decades.
    — Robert Hart, The Verge, 12 Nov. 2026
  • Dream job or not, the life of a flight clinician is hard and, given the headwinds slamming rural healthcare, getting harder.
    — Elaine Appleton-Grant, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • In fact, Abdi recommends against mowing and weed whacking near tree roots in general.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 1 Nov. 2026
  • There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of whacking

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Cite this Entry

“Bonking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonking. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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