✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
For a lower-stakes, breezier project, try a camellias-lilacs-and-sunflower wooden bouquet ($40) or a faintly Lovecraftian punch-out assembly kit for a venomous blue-ringed octopus ($40). Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2025 And Nate Landman provided another one of his signature punch-outs for a forced fumble. Nate Atkins, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
In a closeout opportunity for the defending champions, Shohei Ohtani took the mound for LA and punched out 10 batters across six-plus scoreless innings of work. Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025 Dolphins force fumble The Dolphins have really been working that punch out. Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for punch-out

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

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Punch-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punch-out. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!