What does bonged mean?
"Bonged" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "bong", which primarily means to produce a deep, resonant ringing sound of the kind made by a large bell, a striking clock, or a buoy. In this standard sense it appears frequently in news writing and literature: a cathedral bell bonged noon, or an antique clock bonged out the hours in an empty house. The word is imitative in origin, coined directly from the sound it describes, much like its cousins "clang" and "ding-dong". Separately, in informal American English since roughly the 1970s, "bonged" has served as slang meaning smoked marijuana using a water pipe called a bong — a device whose name itself derives from Southeast Asian words for a bamboo water pipe. Because of this dual identity, register matters: one sense belongs comfortably in formal prose, while the other is distinctly colloquial. Context almost always makes clear which meaning is intended, since the subjects differ sharply — bells and clocks versus people.
Made a deep, resonant ringing sound, as a large bell or striking clock.
"The tower bell bonged six as the ferry pulled away."
Standard and neutral usage, typical of descriptions of bells and clocks.
(Slang) Smoked marijuana using a bong (water pipe).
"He admitted he'd bonged a bowl with his roommates after the concert."
Informal slang; avoid in formal contexts.
The same little word that describes Big Ben striking the hour is also, in American slang, exactly what you did last night.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bonged
The verb "bong" is imitative (onomatopoeic), formed directly from the resonant sound of a large bell; it emerged in the nineteenth century alongside similar sound-words such as "clang" and "boom". The noun "bong", denoting a water pipe for smoking, entered American English around the Vietnam War era, borrowed from words in Thai, Lao, or related Southeast Asian languages (such as Thai "baung") referring to bamboo water pipes. The slang verb sense of "bonged" follows naturally from that noun.
Related word forms
How bonged is actually used
The bell-sound sense is standard and neutral, common in journalism and fiction describing clocks and church bells. The drug-use sense is informal slang, widespread in North American English since the late 20th century, and would be inappropriate in formal writing.
Easily confused with bonged
"Boned" means removed bones from something or (slang) treated someone unfairly; "bonged" means rang like a bell or smoked from a water pipe.
"Gonged" means sounded a gong or was rejected (as in a talent-show gong); "bonged" refers to a deep bell-like sound or use of a water pipe.