What does bonking mean?
Bonking is an informal British English word for sexual intercourse, used with a playful, slightly cheeky register that makes it a staple of tabloid headlines and light-hearted conversation. It functions both as a noun describing the act itself and as a verb ('to bonk'). Beyond the bedroom, the word has an entirely separate life in endurance sport: cyclists and long-distance runners speak of 'bonking' when their bodies run out of glycogen and they hit the infamous wall of fatigue. Both senses derive from the verb bonk, whose original onomatopoeic sense was simply to strike or bump against something with a dull sound. Because of its bawdy primary connotation, the word should be avoided in formal writing, but it remains vivid, widely understood, and useful when a humorous tone is intended.
An act of sexual intercourse; also, in endurance sport, a state of sudden severe fatigue from depleted glycogen reserves.
"She blamed her slow finish on bonking at the halfway point of the marathon."
Informal and chiefly British; the sexual sense carries a jocular tone.
Present participle of the verb bonk: to have sexual intercourse, or (in sport) to suffer sudden energy depletion.
"They spent the weekend bonking behind closed doors, if the neighbours are to be believed."
In British slang, bonking means sex — but tell a cyclist you were bonking and they'll assume you ran out of glycogen mid-ride.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bonking
Bonking derives from the verb bonk, which originally meant to strike or bump with a dull, hollow sound, likely formed imitatively. Its sexual sense arose as British slang, probably by analogy with other verbs of impact repurposed humorously. In recent decades the word was adopted by cyclists to describe the abrupt exhaustion known as 'the bonk', extending its figurative reach into sport.
Related word forms
How bonking is actually used
Chiefly British and distinctly informal or jocular in tone; unsuitable for formal contexts. The sporting sense is common among cyclists and runners.
Easily confused with bonking
Conking means falling asleep suddenly or breaking down, whereas bonking refers either to sex or, in endurance sports, to hitting the wall from depleted energy.