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
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Paredes punched it to right-center field, scoring both runners and forging a 4-4 tie.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Then Freeman woke up Friday morning to the news that was delivering gut punches throughout the baseball world, that Anderson had passed away Thursday at 53.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
Swing the ball from one side of the floor to the other, play off the catch and punch gaps off the bounce.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Paredes punched it to right-center field, scoring both runners and forging a 4-4 tie.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
At his best, Towns is a matchup nightmare who forms a potent one-two punch with Brunson.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Then Freeman woke up Friday morning to the news that was delivering gut punches throughout the baseball world, that Anderson had passed away Thursday at 53.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
Vince tried to get Shane to slap her in a scene, but Shane refused.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Tyler Mikorski was about to board a flight to go on vacation with his girlfriend and her family on March 1 when police slapped cuffs on him.—
Jason Abbruzzese,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One out later, Carruthers drilled a two-out RBI single to center to stretch the lead to 5-1.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The top of his head drilled Bona’s chest, and the Celtics guard crumbled to the court, holding his neck.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Most observers would say that this version of Bentancur was not quite as effective as the one seen under Antonio Conte, more able to cover ground in the middle and drive Tottenham forward.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Once officers arrived, people at the scene said that someone had driven a teenage boy who had been shot from the scene.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Varma smacked Ashok Sharma for 26 runs from three sixes and two fours in the 18th, and reached his hundred with a six and a four off Prasidh Krishna’s last two balls in the final over that went for 22.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Near mile marker 161, about six miles from the summit, the 2020 Freightliner smacked the barrier wall on the right side of the road.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nikki is tall, pierced, and punk rock; her pink hair is shaved down the sides and forms a floppy mohawk up top.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The bullet struck his heart, piercing his aorta, Kenny said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But the umpires ruled the play still live and Antonacci ran around the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Region Direct connects the Fan Festival to 15 locations across the metro (including Lawrence, Independence, Overland Park and more) with buses running every 20 minutes (30 minutes for Lawrence).—
Taylor Haught,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And Silva hit a home run, her third, after attempting a bunt on the previous pitch.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Seattle Seahawks have already hit three of their biggest needs in the 2026 NFL Draft, taking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price on Thursday night in Round 1 and TCU safety Bud Clark and Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal in the second and third rounds on Friday.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Paul, who co-created the Apple TV+ series and drew from season one for the musical’s script and score, performs a dexterous trick, poking fun at the form’s many ridiculous tropes with an unmistakably affectionate hand.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
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Anderson says the magic lies in Gray’s willingness to poke fun at himself.—
Rachel Ventresca,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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