as in punching
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
sick of being insulted, he swung around and clocked his tormentor hard enough to knock him off his bar stool
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of clocking
Chapman had already fired 10 pitches in the frame clocking above 100 mph.
—
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Spilling the Sweet Southern Hospitality Vegas, brace yourself – Charleston’s hottest nightlife crew is clocking in for a show-stopping shift with Republic-level revelry.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 30 Sep. 2025
The stars of Scrubs are clocking back in for another shift together.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
The degree to which vacuum pressure approaches pure nothingness is measured in pascals, with Earth’s atmosphere clocking in at 105 Pa and intergalactic space at a measly 10-20.
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2025
If someone is disengaged but still clocking in, that work has to be absorbed by other team members, which can create additional stress and drag down productivity across the board, said SHRM's Atkinson.
—Charlotte Morabito, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
But with the average cost of daycare for infants and toddlers in the city clocking in between $18,000 and $26,000 a year, child care for one kid alone would eat up over 20% of the average family’s income.
—Yasser Salem, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
The exhibition hall reopened in its entirety in June after a meticulous four-year overhaul led by Chatillon Architectes, clocking in at close to €500 million ($545 million).
—Lindsey Tramuta, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2025
The new workforce is clocking in.
—Thanh Pham, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Spilling the Sweet Southern Hospitality Vegas, brace yourself – Charleston’s hottest nightlife crew is clocking in for a show-stopping shift with Republic-level revelry.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 30 Sep. 2025
The stars of Scrubs are clocking back in for another shift together.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
The degree to which vacuum pressure approaches pure nothingness is measured in pascals, with Earth’s atmosphere clocking in at 105 Pa and intergalactic space at a measly 10-20.
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 Sep. 2025
If someone is disengaged but still clocking in, that work has to be absorbed by other team members, which can create additional stress and drag down productivity across the board, said SHRM's Atkinson.
—Charlotte Morabito, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
But with the average cost of daycare for infants and toddlers in the city clocking in between $18,000 and $26,000 a year, child care for one kid alone would eat up over 20% of the average family’s income.
—Yasser Salem, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
The exhibition hall reopened in its entirety in June after a meticulous four-year overhaul led by Chatillon Architectes, clocking in at close to €500 million ($545 million).
—Lindsey Tramuta, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2025
The new workforce is clocking in.
—Thanh Pham, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clocking
Verb
-
While they were lined up, members put on boxing gloves and took turns punching the pledges four times in the chest, according to the petition.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Jahmai Jones’ two-run single in the top of the fifth proved the difference, punching Detroit’s ticket to the playoffs and ensuring the Tigers would go into Game 162 with a chance to claw back the AL Central title from the insurgent Cleveland Guardians on the final day of the regular season.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The Dodgers are one of the better teams in baseball at hitting changeups from lefties like Sánchez.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Omarion Hampton injured his ankle, knocking him out of the game.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Some rope and stanchion kept them from knock, knocking on the wood.—
Bryan West,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By slapping a $100,000 filing fee on H=1B visas, the White House has declared the days of cheap labor pipelines and visa abuse officially over.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
On the knee-to-knee collision between each team’s superstar, Collier badly rolled her left ankle and was lying on the floor and slapping the court with her hand as Thomas made her drive.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For many, banging them in against the likes of Konyaspor and Goztepe last term is not a convincing retort to those questions.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
In a trial that began Wednesday, six Cubans, including independent journalist José Gabriel Barrenechea, also face sentences of up to nine years in prison for staging a cacerolazo protest, banging pots and pans during a blackout in the Villa Clara province in November 2024.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kirk followed Guerrero the next inning, slamming the first of his two homers over the outfield wall.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Nonprofit watchdog group Human Rights Watch and fellow comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron, however, are saying otherwise, accusing the festival of deflecting from the country's human rights violations and slamming their peers for their involvement.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Really, there’s only one character onstage who commands an audience’s attention, and that’s Hines’ gum-smacking sister-in-law, who turns from antagonist to supporter.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle for most home runs in one season for a switch hitter after smacking his 54th dinger yesterday.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Like NexLawn's upcoming Vidar robo-mowers, the futuristic rover will navigate the garden using LiDAR and vision sensors while clipping the grass.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Its audio comes through clean and detail-rich, with noise cancelling and automatic limiting to handle background chaos without clipping your voice.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clocking. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share