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

Lennar is down 38% since hitting a high in September of last year.

— Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
The rooftop at ‘Alohilani Resort is part of the property’s fitness hub, and guests can gaze out at Waikiki Beach and feel the Pacific Ocean breeze while practicing their hitting in the batting cages.

— Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of hitting

Verb

Support for Infantino Eto’o is not the only person banging the drum for Infantino in what’s become an increasingly fractured landscape.

— Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
These were people who would insist that their American passenger ride in the cab of a trade truck rather than stand in the open back with 20 passengers banging into each other and a couple of goats for hours.

— Ethan Gologor, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of banging

Verb

Lionel Messi was fined by MLS for lightly slapping Union attacker Quinn Sullivan.

— Matt Piper, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Universities are not just slapping corporate logos on uniforms and facilities but building entertainment districts that can be lucrative far beyond game days.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of slapping

Verb

And the defense module can neutralize them via electronics-frying HPM emissions, knocking satellites out without creating a cloud of space debris.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026
For Lynn Parsons, knocking on a stranger’s door once made the difference between getting home and watching her car get towed away.

— Razak Diallo, Baltimore Sun, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of knocking

Verb

Alaves' Ángel Pérez was reprimanded by coach Quique Sánchez Flores after being substituted and punching the bench several times.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
According to court documents, the phone contained videos of Ayres assaulting Dunn repeatedly, at one point punching her in the face.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

As the movie shows, local foodies would swarm the ocean whenever striped bass appeared, reeling them in with pieces of Wonder Bread and then whacking them on the head.

— Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of whacking

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“Bonking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bonking. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of bonking

verb

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