as in sucker punch
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Recent Examples of body blow
Russia’s full-scale war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022 dealt another body blow to the old order.
—
Alexander Stubb, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2025
In the early rounds, Gretchen played defense against the body blow Tamra delivered at the end of this 19th season, saying that Gretchen had hit the like button on a variety of homophobic or transphobic social media posts.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 21 Nov. 2025
Sweeping layoffs announced Friday by the Trump administration landed another body blow to the U.S. Department of Education, this time gutting the office responsible for overseeing special education, according to multiple sources within the department.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
Most of the industry seems to view the measure as a body blow that will hurt tech companies’ ability to hire the best talent.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for body blow
Alexander Stubb, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2025
In the early rounds, Gretchen played defense against the body blow Tamra delivered at the end of this 19th season, saying that Gretchen had hit the like button on a variety of homophobic or transphobic social media posts.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 21 Nov. 2025
Sweeping layoffs announced Friday by the Trump administration landed another body blow to the U.S. Department of Education, this time gutting the office responsible for overseeing special education, according to multiple sources within the department.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
Most of the industry seems to view the measure as a body blow that will hurt tech companies’ ability to hire the best talent.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for body blow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for body blow
Noun
-
Democratic socialist Rae Huang is running against the mayor from her political left.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Knight capped the run by being set up to the left of the net.—
John Wawrow,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Before your boss could match dance steps to the music, his opponent was already kicking him in the groin and throwing rabbit punches.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2024
Noun
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Members of Congress have for months been denied their lawful right to inspect detention facilities in Minnesota, New Jersey, Florida and California.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The underlying lawsuit, filed in December, alleges that federal officers violated the First and Fourth Amendment rights of six protesters.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Warriors were playing without starters Stephen Curry (knee) and Draymond Green (back), while Minnesota's Anthony Edwards was a late scratch to rest a recurring right foot injury.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Jonathan Kuminga was still out with a knee injury, while Jimmy Butler has been lost for the season with an ACL tear.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Is there a swing back to these more traditional media in a way?—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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There are pitches that are better for the swing and miss, and there are pitches for the (bottom) of the zone for groundballs.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The guys in blue kick toward the yellow poles but the guys in white just kick it back across the field.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
With four direct free-kick goals under his belt in 2025-26, Liverpool haven’t had a more potent dead-ball specialist since Luis Suarez netted five in 2012-13.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sky backflipped out of Pop Rox and followed up with a roundhouse kick.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Maya Mamushi — one of Sayaka’s Harajuku Stars teammates — put her hands on her hips to film a clip for CNN, and, with blue braids whipping around, unleashed a roundhouse kick inches from our photojournalist’s face.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Earlier this week, Anthropic released new plugins for specific industries, from legal to finance to biotech research, sending shivers down the spine of Wall Street.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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The mere mention of bed bugs is enough to send a shiver down the spine.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Body blow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/body%20blow. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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