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
  • Jumping into the air, doing the splits, screaming at the top of his lungs, smacking the ground.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 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
  • The 27-year-old Adell has 16 homers and 62 RBIs this season, one year after hitting a career-best 37 homers with 98 RBIs.
    — David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Across Europe, other historic objects have also been revealed this summer due to the record-breaking heat and crippling droughts hitting the continent’s waterways.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of hitting
Verb
  • The songs on Petal are mostly moody midtempo electro-chill, brooding rather than banging.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
  • What was the inspiration for banging the pots and pans around the house?
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of banging
Verb
  • This one is a badass soldier/leader, who can’t stop slapping Stuart, Kripke and Bert.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • The Congolese drum, a traditional instrument of the Luba people, makes a sound akin to the hand slapping skin.
    — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Elarms-Orr didn’t think Kincaid was down and laid a sizable hit on the tight end, knocking him to the ground again.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Wahab said she’s been hard at work on the campaign trail hosting town hall discussions, knocking door-to-door and meeting constituents in the district.
    — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • Background on the case On May 30, Shelby Police Officer Karson Hyder was captured repeatedly punching 34-year-old Cherie Moore during an arrest.
    — Zaire Breedlove, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026
  • Salgado is accused of approaching the man, taunting him to start a fight and punching him in the face, police said.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • But according to rocket scientists at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), slamming a nuclear warhead directly into the side of a space rock is a rookie mistake.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Charlotte faced off with Lash Legend, and Lash got the better of Charlotte by slamming her on a ladder.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.
    — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
  • And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 May 2026
Definition of whacking

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Bonking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonking. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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