What does bonked mean?
Bonked is an informal English word with two main uses. In its more everyday British sense, it means to strike or bump part of the body against something, usually with enough force to hurt: a driver may bonk a kerb, or someone may bonk their head on a cupboard door. It can also function as a participial adjective, as in "a bonked head." A second, deliberately humorous sense means to have sex with someone; "they got bonked" is characteristic of this risqué slang usage. Both senses belong to informal English, although the impact sense is particularly associated with British speech. The word is consequently more conversational than descriptive and may sound comic, affectionate, or vulgar according to context. Recognising both meanings prevents a painful accident from being confused with an entirely different kind of enthusiastically reported evening.
Informally, to strike or bump part of the body against something with a hard impact; informally and often humorously, to have sex with someone.
"The cyclist bonked the wall and stumbled."
The impact sense is especially associated with British English. The sexual sense is informal, risqué, and frequently used for comic effect.
Having been struck or bumped hard, especially on the head.
"After the collision, she sat with a bonked head and a broken mirror."
This is normally a participial adjective formed directly from the verb.
A bonked head is merely painful; someone who got bonked may be celebrating something entirely different.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bonked
The form is the simple past tense and past participle of bonk. In English, bonk belongs to informal vocabulary for a forceful blow or impact, while its sexual sense is part of the word's broader slang register. Its deeper source is uncertain, and no secure foreign-language cognates can be stated without speculation.
Related word forms
How bonked is actually used
The word is informal throughout. The impact sense is especially common in British English, while the sexual sense is deliberately cheeky and can sound crude or funny depending on context. As a participial adjective, it commonly appears in expressions such as "a bonked head."
Easily confused with bonked
Bonked means struck or bumped hard, while bunked can mean slept in a bunk, stowed something in a bunk, or missed an event or commitment.