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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bonking
Verb
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Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026 -
In his defense, Barnett took the stand to say there was no murder plot and that Thomas extorted him for the money using physical violence – knocking out his teeth, injured his left shoulder, and smacking his private parts.—
Sydney Pereira,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Bench coach Jeff Pickler, third base coach Andy Gonzalez, first base coach Doug Bernier, assistant hitting coach Jordan Pacheco and Schaeffer all took players aside to point out the nuances of the contact play.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And Peters has been banging his head on his desk trying to get Congress to use it.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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Agitators were seen blowing whistles, banging pots and pans, shaking metal barricades and striking the rails set up outside the property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even in the trailer, scenes of slapping dough, Robbie and Elordi kissing in the rain and Elordi licking a wall were telltale signs that this would be a heightened version of the actual romance depicted in the book.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Sometimes the figure tries and fails to stand up, slapping itself with floppy, almost boneless limbs.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai and Glenn's teammate Alysa Liu followed and overtook her score, knocking her off the podium.—
Greg Rosenstein,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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In the hunt for their own goal, the Americans kept knocking on the door, but couldn’t break through.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Additionally, the actor is accused of assaulting another man by punching him in the nose, police say.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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The police statement claims that upon being released, LaBeouf struck the same man with his fists before allegedly punching another man in the nose.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Allred has been criticized in some circles for publicly slamming Talarico.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
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The Motion Picture Association and, the Human Artistry Campaign issued statements last week slamming ByteDance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Then Eriksson Ek helped create Spurgeon’s tying goal by dominating Kaiser in front and whacking at two rebound attempts, with the puck bouncing right to Spurgeon by the post.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bonking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonking. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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