punch-out

1 of 2

noun

punch out

2 of 2

verb

punched out; punching out; punches out

intransitive verb

1
: to record the time of one's stopping work or departure by punching a time clock
2
: to bail out of an aircraft using an ejection seat

transitive verb

1
: to beat up
2

Examples of punch-out in a Sentence

Verb you should take a course in anger management—you can't go around punching out people
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
And if that first goal showed off all the speed and skill that Smith possesses, the second one showed off her grit and determination, coming in stoppage time just before halftime, when Smith pushed back a punch-out from Vietnam’s heroic keeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2023 Seven of Moquin’s punch-outs were on swing-and-miss pitches. Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 13 May 2023 Koepka’s Sunday afternoon tee shot, though, came to rest on a stretch of pine straw, forcing a punch-out onto the fairway. Alan Blinder Doug Mills, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2023
Verb
Undeterred, Evans put his hat over his fist and punched out the remainder of the windshield and drove on, with nothing between him and the subzero temperatures of Britain’s coldest winter in 150 years. Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 31 Oct. 2023 The hotel closed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its white all-caps signage has seen better days, with some letters fully punched out. Catherine Carlock, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2023 That was Pham, who punched out a career-high 11 across five scoreless innings of one-hit ball Friday. Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2023 Use a drinking straw to punch out two holes in the top of each cookie. Lyda Jones Burnette, Country Living, 8 Sep. 2023 Tuesday’s Nationals starter was MacKenzie Gore, who came over in the Soto trade, boosted his fastball to 98 mph and even punched out Soto in the third inning. Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023 Bernardino, though, fanned Harrison Bader before handing the baton to righthander Chris Martin, who punched out Anthony Volpe and induced Ben Rortvedt to fly out to Yoshida in left to end the game. Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2023 The final shift is scheduled to punch out Feb. 28, the 5 million-square-foot auto plant will go dark and Belvidere will face an uncertain future. Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2023 Ornamental metal panels had been punched out to make room for air-conditioning units. Curbed, 9 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punch-out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1973, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1893, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of punch-out was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near punch-out

Cite this Entry

“Punch-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punch-out. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

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