punching bag

noun

punch·​ing bag ˈpən-chiŋ- 

1

: a stuffed or inflated bag usually suspended for free movement and punched for exercise or for training in boxing

2

: one who is routinely abused or defeated by another

Examples of punching bag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The robotic punching bag recognizes and escapes your strikes, swelling both strength and velocity of your punches. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Jan. 2023

True to his name, Rocky took up boxing at a young age, with Gellar proudly posting photos of him gloved-up at the punching bag in 2016. —Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 20 Jan. 2023

Netflix has been a favourite punching bag for many in the French industry who blame declining box office on the rise of online viewing. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Dec. 2022

Maybe my knee-jerk reaction just proved a key Harry & Meghan point: The Duchess of Sussex makes for an easy punching bag. —Kristen Baldwin and Darren Franich, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for punching bag

• bundestag
• saddlebag
• ag
• brag
• dag
• drag
• flag
• gag
• hag
• hagg
• lag
• mag