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
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Recent Examples of punch
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 12 May 2026
But a recent Washington Post investigation revealed that staff have punched, kicked, restrained, fired pepper spray and tased people in their facilities nationwide.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 16 May 2026
First off, he was surprised by the number of diminutive people looking to take a punch at him, the way Apollo Creed did his alter-ego Rocky Balboa — starting with Paddy Chayefsky, the playwright and Network screenwriter who was up against Stallone for Best Screenplay.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
To run a program, the code had to first be punched into paper tape; a hole represented a 1, and no hole represented a 0, corresponding to the two units of binary code, which most computers work with.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 12 May 2026
But a recent Washington Post investigation revealed that staff have punched, kicked, restrained, fired pepper spray and tased people in their facilities nationwide.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
Noun
Losing Fried would be a gut punch for most organizations, but with Schlittler continuing his ascension into stardom, the Yankees might be able to continue performing as one of the league’s best clubs without much of a blip.
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 16 May 2026
First off, he was surprised by the number of diminutive people looking to take a punch at him, the way Apollo Creed did his alter-ego Rocky Balboa — starting with Paddy Chayefsky, the playwright and Network screenwriter who was up against Stallone for Best Screenplay.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
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First baseman Ashley Griffin slapped an RBI single into center field, scoring catcher Beth Damon, extending the lead to 5-1 and ending Braswell’s day.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
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Firstman all but preemptively slapped an A24 logo on Club Kid, which doesn’t have distribution yet as of this writing, but his film really would fit into their stable of commercially friendly art flicks, down to its gooey heart.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Both candidates were the only ones to say California should resume offshore drilling.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
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Cape Station entails drilling wells 10,000 feet deep—about 2 miles—and then directionally drilling horizontally another 7,500 feet to create adequately sized reservoirs, and fracking (hydraulic fracturing) the rock to release the flows of water naturally heated to more than 400 degrees.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
For instance, researchers found that rapid urbanization and electrification across Asia drove brightening in cities from China to India to Sub-Saharan Africa.—
Bree Shirvell,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
The novel starts out on a highway, in a car that’s driving too fast.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Rowles is also making an impact at Marist in flag football.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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Not even BriseBois anticipated James, who was signed as a free agent two days into training camp after his draft rights with the Blackhawks expired, would have made such a quick impact.—
Eduardo A. Encina,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Nina, Karen and Caroline started appearing in my daydreams, full of vigor and life lessons.—
Jennifer Acker,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
-
Although not invasive, irises do need to be divided every few years to maintain vigor.—
Jamie McIntosh,
The Spruce,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
For a club already facing relegation on the pitch, their own fans may have just dealt them the final, crushing blow.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
The decision by the Senate's parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, deals a blow to Trump and his administration, which has sought the money for security purposes related to the ballroom.—
Nolan D. McCaskill,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Attenborough communicated with the tribe using gestures, looked at their personal ornaments and enquired about the pegs in the ritual punctures in the nose of one of the men.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
In the case of a puncture, the rider will be warned immediately, which prevents further damage to the wheel and improves safety.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Eldridge’s solo shot in the fifth inning against right-hander Braxton Ashcraft smacked the top of the right field arcade and caromed into McCovey Cove.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
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The two have smacked each other around in the weeks since and traded barbs over their places within the company.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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