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
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Once at the house, Paula tries to be a badass by punching through a basement window with Hazel’s shirt wrapped around her fist.
—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
1 July 2026
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Rey exploded on Ethan with 10-count punches, but a tilt-a-whirl was countered by Page with a sitout faceplant.
—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
Once the orange shirts slid centrally, Odegaard punched the ball back to the left.
—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Once at the house, Paula tries to be a badass by punching through a basement window with Hazel’s shirt wrapped around her fist.
—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
1 July 2026
Noun
Jeffrey Viel would add both grit and scoring punch, while Ryan Lomberg could at least bring some energy and character to the locker room during the early stages of this rebuild.
—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Rey exploded on Ethan with 10-count punches, but a tilt-a-whirl was countered by Page with a sitout faceplant.
—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
Some of them slapped strict limits on all gas stations; in others, gas station chains limited how much fuel could be bought.
-
Actor Orlando Brown slapped recording artist Ray J in the face with a wad of cash.
Verb
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Moments later the ball bounced to Lamine Yamal, who drilled a shot that was blocked.
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Although the video does include a rig that involves drilling a mast beam (or thwart) into the canoe’s upper hull edge ( or gunwales), there is also a route that instead uses clamps.
Verb
-
The abnormal heat has been driven by the onset of El Niño, a natural climate pattern characterized by unusually warm waters along the equatorial tropical Pacific Ocean.
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Congestion is difficult to predict, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, when driving behavior shifted and peak traffic hours spread out instead of sticking to the more uniform 9-to-5 workday.
Noun
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In another recent study on the impact of AI on jobs, the California AI-unemployment tracker examined the state across industries, education levels and region and highlighted some worrying trends.
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Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital Editor, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.
Noun
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Deadheading helps redirect energy to the plant, improving overall vigor and reducing disease risk.
-
The crowd shook her car with such vigor that the 23-year-old Westminster resident couldn’t turn up the music like people shouted at her to do.
Noun
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Hers is a voice that ought to have a lifetime’s staying power, bolstered by a lyrical and musical sensibility that provide everything her instrument needs to deliver a happy succession of knockout blows.
-
Kyiv’s forces have especially targeted supplies to Crimea, triggering the worst fuel crisis on the Black Sea peninsula since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 and delivering a blow to the Kremlin’s narrative that Moscow is winning the war.
Noun
-
Sure enough, all tires were up and there were no obvious punctures or hissing sounds.
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Strike suffered a broken leg and a series of puncture wounds, WECT reports.
Verb
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Moniak smacked a 424-foot homer to right-center with one down in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
-
Kara and Ruthye figure out the Brigands are trafficking young women for dastardly purposes, giving them yet another reason to smack some dudes around.
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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