sucker punch

verb

sucker punched; sucker punching; sucker punches

transitive verb

: to punch (a person) suddenly without warning and often without apparent provocation
sucker punch noun

Examples of sucker punch in a Sentence

One of them sucker punched me.
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.
The Milwaukee County Transit System's $10.9 million deficit landed a sucker punch to county officials in June and resulted in service cuts — but records show the warning signs were there months earlier. Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 12 Aug. 2025 On June 15, 2019, Ramirez ran up behind a 26-year-old African American grocery store employee and sucker punched him, breaking the employee’s nose and damaging two of his front teeth. Sean Emery, Oc Register, 21 July 2025 Floating around London’s Chelsea Flower Show as dusk is about to fall, the air is thick, the herbal scents of salvia and geranium offset by the minty nepeta and the flouncing citrus sucker punch of verbana. Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 June 2025 This doesn’t sit well with Mia’s very jealous ex-boyfriend Connor (Aramis Knight, oozing villainy as if to the Karate Kid manor born), who gives Li a black eye with a vicious sucker punch. Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sucker punch

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sucker punch was in 1964

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sucker punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sucker%20punch. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

sucker punch

verb
: to punch (a person) suddenly and usually without any obvious reason
sucker punch noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sucker punch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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