punch line

noun

: the sentence, statement, or phrase (as in a joke) that makes the point

Examples of punch line in a Sentence

She didn't understand the punch line.

Recent Examples on the Web

Now the state is no longer a punch line. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 11 May 2026

Chocolate brings it home with a punch line—a wry observation to end the story with a laugh. — Joseph Trinidad, Longreads, 16 June 2026

Why does almost every punch line feel overworked and underdeveloped? — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 23 May 2026

At the end of every day she was spent from the strain of asking people to repeat themselves and missing out on conversations and the punch lines of jokes. — ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for punch line

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline