punch-drunk

adjective

ˈpənch-ˌdrəŋk 

1

: suffering from brain injury from repeated blows to the head : affected with or exhibiting chronic traumatic encephalopathy

In the argot of the not-so-sweet science, he had been punch-drunk, his brain dying prematurely as a result of his taking so many blows to the head.

—Sports Illustrated

2

: behaving as if punch-drunk : dazed, confused entry 1

Synonyms of punch-drunk

• dazed
• bewildered
• confused
• distracted
• stunned
• dizzy

Examples of punch-drunk in a Sentence

punch-drunk from having stayed up all night, she struggled through the exam

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 1994 midterms, when Bill Clinton’s presidency was bludgeoned half to death by the Newt Gingrich revolution, The New Yorker’s Michael Kelly described the punch-drunk shock inside the White House. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026

The Florida Gators staggered into Texas on Saturday looking like a punch-drunk prizefighter who had spent the previous two weeks getting his teeth knocked out, his nose rearranged and his dignity dragged through the mud. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Oct. 2026

The yen looked punch-drunk on Wednesday after a sudden spill overnight, pressured by wide interest rate differentials between Japan and the rest of the world. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 19 June 2026

Candy thought so too, later recalling that the only hard part of filming the scene was doing it over and over again for Hughes and his punch-drunk crew. — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

punch entry 2

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for punch-drunk

• debunk
• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• junk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk

Medical Definition

punch-drunk

adjective

ˈpənch-ˌdrəŋk 

: suffering from brain injury from repeated blows to the head : affected with or exhibiting chronic traumatic encephalopathy

An American doctor, Harrison Martland, observed as early as 1928 that boxers who took considerable punishment could become punch-drunk.

—Peter Stoler, Time

punch-drunkenness

-ˌdrəŋ-kən-nəs 

noun