bonk

verb

ˈbäŋk How to pronounce bonk (audio)
ˈbȯŋk
bonked; bonking; bonks
1
transitive informal : hit
Johnson isn't the only one who has noticed the glut of acorns this fall. Walkers are getting bonked on the head, and cars are getting pelted by the falling nuts.Lori Stabile
2
intransitive informal : to experience sudden, severe fatigue during strenuous activity
Two hours into the ride, you encounter a sudden loss of energy that leaves you weak, dizzy and nauseated. You've hit the wall, or "bonked."Sharon Cohen
3
transitive chiefly British, informal : to have sexual intercourse with (someone)

Examples of bonk in a Sentence

He bonked him on the head. The golf ball bonked the hood of the car.
Recent Examples on the Web The massive, stainless steel behemoth bonked into the sign around 11:45 p.m. Sunday after it was involved in a collision with another vehicle, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 April tries to return a volley and then bonks herself in the nose with the pickleball. EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 The Super Mario part asks you to navigate throughout the game world by running and jumping and grabbing coins, occasionally bonking floating blocks with your head to get stuff out of them. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 15 Nov. 2023 The woman, at one point, swings her leg back in attitude until her foot bonks her partner’s head. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023 Jake Elliott’s 48-yard field goal attempt bonked off the left upright and over the bar to give the Eagles a 22-14 lead with 13:21 left in the fourth quarter. Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023 Meryl bonking herself on the head with a lantern during a dance number? Time, 14 Aug. 2023 And in those crazy-long races when, many hours in, everything hurts and the guys who went out way too fast are bonking, and the others are stopping every 30 minutes to suck down an energy gel, women will breeze past them on their way to the finish line. Meaghen Brown, Outside Online, 11 Apr. 2017 Chang is not met by Wujing, but instead by Alban Veseli (Daniel Sauli), who bonks Ressler over the head with the briefcase and tries to flee via motorized scooter. Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bonk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

imitative

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bonk was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near bonk

Cite this Entry

“Bonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bonk. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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