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
Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
And then, last December, a group of guards killed a man named Robert Brooks in a state prison near Utica—punching him, shoving a rag into his mouth, hitting him with his own shoe, and stomping on his groin.
—Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
Chopped bell peppers, spinach, and mushrooms can pack an extra nutritional punch, providing potassium, fiber, and other nutrients.
—Angela Ryan Lee, Verywell Health, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
Linebacker Marist Liufau punched the ball out of Hall’s arms, and Sam Williams recovered it.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
And then, last December, a group of guards killed a man named Robert Brooks in a state prison near Utica—punching him, shoving a rag into his mouth, hitting him with his own shoe, and stomping on his groin.
—Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
This speaker is a best seller on Amazon (with nearly 80,000 positive reviews) for a reason—its sound system really packs a punch.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
Chopped bell peppers, spinach, and mushrooms can pack an extra nutritional punch, providing potassium, fiber, and other nutrients.
—Angela Ryan Lee, Verywell Health, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
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Lawrence attempted to go over the pile on a fourth-down snap from the 1-yard line, but Bolton greeted him there, slapping the ball away and forcing a fumble inches before the ball reached the line.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
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After Demercado gave up the ball too early, Gannon is seen in the video walking by him and appearing to slap his arm — while his teammates console the TCU product.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Scheierman drilled a pair of 3-pointers, including one from several feet beyond the arc.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
When deciding where to drill holes in the wooden balls, Robson realized that a huge amount of chemical information depended on the position of the holes.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sylvia said fire crews had to access the scene by driving in the wrong direction from 59th Street.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Bouchard is one of the NHL’s most polarizing defensemen, but there’s no denying his elite play-driving numbers on the top pair — even in non-Connor McDavid and non-Leon Draisaitl minutes.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The baby used her tail to smack the bird before taking it underwater, resurfacing to show boaters the bird had been skinned, the group said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The flintlock coughed a lot of smoke, but Zutterman heard the 270-grain roundball smack the buck.—
Bob McNally,
Outdoor Life,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In April, Kismet by Milka opened a London flagship at 110 New Bond Street, which spans 1,500 square feet across two floors with two piercing studios.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Touches five and six are merely the cajoling preamble to the pièce de résistance, aka touch seven, a piercing through ball which splits defender Goncalo Inacio and backtracking forward Geny Catamo like a warm bread knife through a ciabatta roll straight out of Mama’s oven.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Frequency combs could change that by allowing many data channels to run simultaneously through a single optical fiber.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Ticketholders will be transported to the homes via shuttle buses that run continuously on the tour route.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The ball popped up in the air and Bolton was there to grab it, except he was hit by teammate Drue Tranquill.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Hikers hit Goat Trail Hill 'n Dale Hiking Club will hike Thursday along the Goat Trail to Steel Creek on the Buffalo National River.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Cowboys poked a hole in the Jets’ balloon after the Hall fumble.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
An alligator’s head could be seen poking out of the water just a few feet away as Whaley prepared to take his shot, but the 30-year-old quickly brought the ball back onto dry land and escaped with par on the 11th green.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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