punch out 1 of 2

verb

Definition of punch outnext
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly you should take a course in anger management—you can't go around punching out people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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punch-out

2 of 2

noun

as in fistfight

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of punch out
Verb
The De La Salle product punched out a pair apiece in the first and second, then struck out three in both the third and fourth. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 3 June 2026 Danny Nelson starred again from the mound for Leominster in a 4-1 win over Shepherd Hill, allowing just three hits while punching out 10 in a complete game. — Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
Noun
The two of them flirt, but of course the affair is not consummated, and Sergeant Sullivan pits them against each other in a punch-out exercise. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025 But back in the 2010s, Kershaw was a dominant strikeout pitcher who recorded at least 200 punch-outs in a season seven times during the ten-year span from 2010 to 2019. — Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for punch out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch out
  1. lick
  2. fistfight
  3. hide
  4. blows
  5. pound
  6. slugfest
  7. lash
  8. punch-up
Verb
  • Grande licked one of them, and fans were immediately outraged by the moment.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 16 July 2026
  • Some of the flames come close to licking the glass, as the wildfire blows across the tracks.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 July 2026
Definition of lick
Noun
  • Later, Enola also participates in a horseback chase and violent fistfight with the female villain.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026
  • Its satirical video, depicting politicians descending into an all-out fistfight, proved especially prescient during the fevered atmosphere of the 2016 election cycle.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 17 June 2026
Definition of fistfight
Verb
  • What was the thinking behind hiding this information up until the finale?
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • For most of the past century, mathematicians have been exploring the limits of Ramsey theory, the study of order hiding inside chaos—or, more accurately, how much disorder can be packed into a system before order must inevitably emerge.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 15 July 2026
Definition of hide
Noun
  • In a little corner of my mind, however, history will always mean the tragic smashing of individual lives by its cruel hands and the scattering of bewildered people reeling from its blows.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2026
  • One way to look at the Washington Nationals’ kick-in-the-groin sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees — three leads in the eighth inning, three dizzying losses — is that none of the previous blows this team has taken have permanently felled it.
    — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • In IconArrows pointing outwards RANDOM, BUT INTERESTING Russia’s energy infrastructure continues to get pounded by Ukrainian drones.
    — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • Vargas pounded a monster second-deck home run in the eighth inning that turned into this game’s only extra-base hit — by either team.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of pound
Noun
  • The Yankees started their slugfest in style against the Rays, as Judge’s big fly traveled 429 feet to the batter’s eye at Steinbrenner Field.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover Notes: It’s been a slow, ugly slugfest among the backup tight ends to see who can win the No. 3 job.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Definition of slugfest
Verb
  • This time, Iran lashed out at nearby Gulf states, attacking Kuwait and Bahrain, both of which host American troops.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
  • The White House’s Rapid Response social media account also lashed out at CNN for opting against a live broadcast of the speech.
    — Tiago Ventura, Time, 17 July 2026
Definition of lash
Noun
  • About deluded coaches and philandering teammates and practice-field punch-ups.
    — Leander Schaerlaeckens June 8, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
  • Among them are Neeson as a Great Gatsby-esque type who puts Declan in the hospital after a punch-up and Cleese as a priest who also doubles as the Grim Reaper.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 11 May 2026
Definition of punch-up

Browse Nearby Words

punching out
punch out
punch-out
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Cite this Entry

“Punch out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch%20out. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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