bonks

verb

present tense third-person singular of bonk
as in slaps
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 bonks
  1. slaps
  2. knocks
  3. smacks
  4. bangs
  5. hits
  6. whacks
  7. slams
  8. punches
Verb
  • Helmut Haller, West Germany vs England, 1966 Ray Wilson misjudges his headed clearance, Haller gathers it on the edge of the box and, just before Bobby Moore can close him down, slaps a right-footed shot into the far corner.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
Definition of slaps
Verb
  • For residents who didn’t respond to knocks on their doors, their bags were left for safekeeping with Mai Mei Su, the building’s residential manager.
    — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Max knocks on the door, a strange formality for a man about to burn the boat down to the waterline.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of knocks
Verb
  • Byerley smacks the schmuck in the face and wins the election.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The teriyaki aroma from the wings was almost strong enough to taste, and the flavor smacks you in the face from the first bite.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
Definition of smacks
Verb
  • Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • When selecting the perfect of-the-moment style for you (Jane Birkin bangs?
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 8 June 2026
Definition of bangs
Verb
  • This hits me personally because my brother, Rescue 5 firefighter Allan Tarasiewicz, was killed that day saving people when the North Tower fell on him, all because of Bin Laden and money from Saudi Arabia.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Skies are expected to remain partly sunny Thursday as the chance of precipitation hits and sticks around through the night, NWS states.
    — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of hits
Verb
  • With runners on the corners, Martinez whacks a two-run, RBI double to tie it at five.
    — Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Then little Holly Wheeler and her 10-year-old friends, including the Season 5 favorite Derek (Jake Connelly), all swarm into the basement and take over the D&D table in a passing of the torch that basically whacks the audience over our collective heads.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Definition of whacks
Verb
  • Or father, for that matter, especially after Sebastiano repeatedly slams his son’s head against a sink.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This is happening as a demographic shift to an older, grayer population slams Colorado.
    — Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 5 July 2026
Definition of slams
Verb
  • And if the pizza isn’t enticing enough, Urban Cowboy’s cocktail program punches far above its weight class.
    — Beth Rankin, Denver Post, 27 July 2026
  • As the officer is pinned down, one person repeatedly punches her in the head while another appears to strike her with an unidentified object before a second officer intervenes.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of punches
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bonking
bonks
bonne
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Cite this Entry

“Bonks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonks. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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