1
as in to slap
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
after the man had punched the bartender for eighty-sixing him, bouncers stepped in and restrained him until the police could arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to drill
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
the real punch of the speech came in its closing lines
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in vigor
active strength of body or mind
we're going to need a candidate with real punch if voters are ever going to get excited about this election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the poor palooka wasn't able to land a single punch on his opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in puncture
a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument
old computers used to get information by reading the punches on a series of cards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of punch
Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The space capsule will punch through the Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour, enduring temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
There will also be frozen cocktails and shareable drinks like Spill the Tea, a punch with vodka, nigori sake, lychee, jasmine and citrus.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
According to witnesses, Pratt had previously punched another man in the face.
—Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The space capsule will punch through the Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour, enduring temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Their actions are a gut punch to American values and human decency.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
There will also be frozen cocktails and shareable drinks like Spill the Tea, a punch with vodka, nigori sake, lychee, jasmine and citrus.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
The edge held until the seventh, when Worchester slapped four runs on the board in their final turn at-bat to snatch a sudden triumph.—
Staff Report,
Twin Cities,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Delhi skipper Axar Patel got the breakthrough when Sharma slapped him to cover and Nitish Rana took a tough chance above his head in the 10th over.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nearby, men drill the girders of a bridge; the iron beams make bold crisscrosses, moving the eye diagonally.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But drilling new wells takes time.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Zuckerman is among tens of thousands of patients who drove an explosive demand for prescriptions for Novo’s pill just three months into its launch.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Calls to temporarily pause gas taxes have gained traction in recent days as prices at the pump climb dramatically, largely driven by supply disruptions resulting from the war in Iran.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But that came with a whole different kind of pressure, one that didn’t feed into Hurley’s psyche as the chronic Dom Quixote in search of another windmill to smack around.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
-
During that time, the moon will appear mostly dark, which will give the astronauts a chance to observe the sun’s corona and look for flashes of light from rocky objects smacking into the moon.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bullet pierced the 49-year-old guard’s spine, according to prosecutors, who said the victim endured seven hours of surgery and may be paralyzed.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Here is an example of a piercing forward run and crisp finish down that side from that fateful afternoon against Granada, not shying away from putting his weaker foot through the ball with the angle closing down.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chavez, who once ran a ketamine clinic, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was sentenced to eight months home confinement in December 2025.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Charlotte Knight came in to run for Richey and Taylor Higgins reached on a fielder’s choice that moved Knight to third.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is expected to hit theaters on May 1.—
Joyann Jeffrey,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But Edwards hit a 3-pointer a few seconds later to push the lead to 135-128 and send the home fans streaming toward the exits.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wrencher said Russell once tied her to a chair, poked her with a knife, and threatened to burn the house down, the son said.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Both characteristics were on full display when Drasner hit the local airwaves with a television commercial that promoted The News and poked fun at one of its upstart rivals.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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