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
Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Mar. 2026
Californians feel more pain at the pump No other state is getting punched harder than California as the conflict with Iran pushes up gas prices, my colleague Iris Kwok reports.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Michael MacKenzie, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Southern Illinois summers can be brutal, bringing a double-punch of heat and high humidity that some visitors may wish to avoid.
—Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
The fire burned through part of the garage and punched a hole in the roof.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Mar. 2026
Californians feel more pain at the pump No other state is getting punched harder than California as the conflict with Iran pushes up gas prices, my colleague Iris Kwok reports.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
Investors now face the risk that rising oil prices repeat past episodes and deliver the one-two punch of inflation — the scourge of bonds — followed by a hit to growth.
—Michael MacKenzie, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Southern Illinois summers can be brutal, bringing a double-punch of heat and high humidity that some visitors may wish to avoid.
—Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
Kiel grounded out to third base before Sorrell slapped a single to right field, but was caught trying to steal second base.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Itoje was sin-binned in the 64th for illegally slapping the ball in a maul and 13 men were playing Italy's 15.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Garza drilled a wide-open 3-pointer on his first touch of the game to spark a 10-1 Celtics run.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Kate Holmquist drilled a 3-pointer just over two minutes into the second half to give the Crimson a 12-point edge, and the Raptors were never within single digits the rest of the way.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Yet, Whitman-Hanson had one final gasp, as Pierre drove to the basket.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The neighborhood/area The immediate neighborhood around the resort doesn’t offer much beyond lush greenery, but drive about 15 minutes west to find the famous Alona Beach, a particularly scenic strip of sand bookended by dramatic rock walls.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Everson’s head appeared to smack into the goal post.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mines are first identified by the AN/AQS-20A sonar system or other mine countermeasure assets, after identification a mine is neutralized with an armor-piercing warhead.—
Luis Martinez,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
What follows this admission is a piercing dissection not of the art itself, but of frameworks of looking at Black art and life that go beyond racist tropes disguised as appeals to the primitive, the spontaneous, the corporeal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Police said Baima had robbed a BMO bank branch before running from officers and pointing what appeared to be a handgun at them.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Harris, a Democrat who ran for the seat in 2024, is a retired Brigadier General who spent 40 years in the military before becoming a cattle producer in Polk County.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In seeing their six-game winning streak halted just before hitting the friendly skies for a four-game road trip that tips off in Phoenix on Sunday, the Hornets (32-32) were victimized by Miami in the fourth quarter.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Mar. 2026
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Byron Buxton was hit by a pitch in the fifth to push the Americans’ lead to 4-1.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But researchers who studied crocodiles at an outdoor recreation center near Cape Town appear to have poked a hole in that approach.—
Regina G. Barber,
NPR,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Featured in this article What’s more, hotel pillows often have other special features, including down-proof encasements (meaning feathers won’t poke through the cover over time).—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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