as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion
punch-drunk from having stayed up all night, she struggled through the exam
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Recent Examples of punch-drunk
That’s a bigger punchline than a punch-drunk Russian robot.
—
Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
Candy thought so too, later recalling that the only hard part of filming the scene was doing it over and over again for Hughes and his punch-drunk crew.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Guiducci arrives at a moment when some of that anger has subsided, and the punch-drunk culture seems counterintuitively eager to escape into nostalgia and tastemaking, splashy profiles, and — just sometimes — confrontational journalism.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Having given us a punch-drunk vision of romantic dilemmas in her masterpiece of a debut, Song now delivers a more practical, hangover-adjacent look at how the human need for relationships gets turned into a bespoke luxury item.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Only the most punch-drunk partisan would give Republicans as much as a 50-50 chance of succeeding Gavin Newsom.
—Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
It’s better described as a series of springy volleys backward and forward through time—the movie ping-pongs between 2019 and 2006, with stops in between—that leave you feeling a little dizzy, even a bit punch-drunk.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The notion that anyone might make a beeline to turn this punch-drunk nonsense into a new Statham franchise seems unlikely.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024
What’s going on is that the movie is getting punch-drunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
Candy thought so too, later recalling that the only hard part of filming the scene was doing it over and over again for Hughes and his punch-drunk crew.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Guiducci arrives at a moment when some of that anger has subsided, and the punch-drunk culture seems counterintuitively eager to escape into nostalgia and tastemaking, splashy profiles, and — just sometimes — confrontational journalism.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Having given us a punch-drunk vision of romantic dilemmas in her masterpiece of a debut, Song now delivers a more practical, hangover-adjacent look at how the human need for relationships gets turned into a bespoke luxury item.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Only the most punch-drunk partisan would give Republicans as much as a 50-50 chance of succeeding Gavin Newsom.
—Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
It’s better described as a series of springy volleys backward and forward through time—the movie ping-pongs between 2019 and 2006, with stops in between—that leave you feeling a little dizzy, even a bit punch-drunk.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The notion that anyone might make a beeline to turn this punch-drunk nonsense into a new Statham franchise seems unlikely.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024
What’s going on is that the movie is getting punch-drunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch-drunk
Adjective
-
But plenty of people tell of being left dazed and destabilized by ayahuasca ceremonies and struggling to return to their previous lives; some make sudden life changes that only bring distress and further trauma.—
Mattha Busby,
Rolling Stone,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The slightly dazed look of someone who has just emerged from an eight-hour surgery.—
Matthew Kayser,
Ascend Agency,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The usually positive Gauff went negative, lacked energy and seemed bewildered and overwhelmed.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Since his starring days at Gonzaga, Timme has earned bewildered double takes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Goedert scored his second touchdown on a fourth-and-2 leaving a confused Malik Mustapha behind him in the left flat.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Yet many of its citizens feel both whiplashed and confused.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
An out of shape owl emerged, followed by jealous girlfriend owl and the ADHD-riddled owl, who is far too distracted to hoot.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The annual report focused on seat belt usage, impaired driving, driving distracted, speeding, motorcycle driving and young drivers.—
Brian Sherrod,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The children watched in stunned silence.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Sean Payton went to a podium in street clothes, told reporters Nix was out for the season with a fractured ankle, and the Broncos’ locker room came away as stunned as the rest of the world.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Signs of dehydration include dry mouth and throat, infrequent urination and feeling dizzy when standing up.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Some people may feel dizzy or faint when working out in a fasted state, which can be dangerous if lifting heavy weights.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch-drunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch-drunk. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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