1
as in slapped
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
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2
as in drilled
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punched
Joe Mazzulla tipped his cap to Patriots counterpart Mike Vrabel after New England punched its ticket to Super Bowl LX.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
For many, the surge in gold prices has punched a hole in their wedding budgets.
—Preeti Soni, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
The Seahawks punched their ticket by winning a rubber match against the Los Angeles Rams, outlasting their division rival 31-27 in an explosive thriller.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks punched their Super Bowl tickets on Sunday after tight wins over the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams in their respective conference championship games.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Reality rudely intruded on a private party thrown by talent agency CAA Friday night, where Democratic Florida congressman Maxwell Frost was allegedly punched by a man who crashed the event.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
The man who spoke then reportedly punched her and knocked her to the ground.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
The unidentified man who punched Frost was arrested.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026
After Patriots senior Taylor Perry scored the first bucket of the second quarter to cap off a 9-2 run, the Cavers punched back with an 8-0 run that lasted more than five minutes to regain their five-point lead before going into halftime up six.
—Breven Honda, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
For many, the surge in gold prices has punched a hole in their wedding budgets.
—Preeti Soni, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
The Seahawks punched their ticket by winning a rubber match against the Los Angeles Rams, outlasting their division rival 31-27 in an explosive thriller.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks punched their Super Bowl tickets on Sunday after tight wins over the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams in their respective conference championship games.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Reality rudely intruded on a private party thrown by talent agency CAA Friday night, where Democratic Florida congressman Maxwell Frost was allegedly punched by a man who crashed the event.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
The man who spoke then reportedly punched her and knocked her to the ground.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
The unidentified man who punched Frost was arrested.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026
After Patriots senior Taylor Perry scored the first bucket of the second quarter to cap off a 9-2 run, the Cavers punched back with an 8-0 run that lasted more than five minutes to regain their five-point lead before going into halftime up six.
—Breven Honda, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punched
Verb
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For perhaps the direction WWE is going with this match, backstage, Zayn slapped Drew McIntyre in the face.—
Rob Wolkenbrod,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Trump had previously slapped a 10 percent tariff on Denmark and its European allies over the issue of Greenland, rattling much of Europe.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The first is the Enfield Tennis Academy, where athletically gifted boys and girls (but mainly boys) are drilled in physical and mental preparation for what’s known as The Show, a stab at professional tennis.—
Hermione Hoby,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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The trend carried on into the second quarter, as sophomore Will Palmer drilled a three-pointer with five minutes to play in the half as the Skippers constructed a 30-20 lead.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But after a six-month probe into Yoon's decree, investigators led by another independent counsel, Cho Eun-suk, in December downplayed conjecture that Kim's troubles drove Yoon to declare martial law.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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The round trip from Rockford — the site of the hospital where McKee worked — to Columbus is seven hours, meaning that McKee drove at least 14 hours during that 17 hour span, according to investigators' timeline.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Stout yelled at Valkyrie about going to the bathroom several times on Saturday and smacked the girl at least twice, the mother told police.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The Sixers smacked the Raptors.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The steppe is sand pierced by grasses and little pale flowers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.—
Jenavieve Christensen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Turkey arrests 6 suspected of spying ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish authorities have arrested six people, including an Iranian national, on suspicion of spying for Iran, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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Tesla signaled a major shift in its business as CEO Elon Musk told investors the company will end production of its longest-running premium electric vehicles.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The styling team has knocked it out of the park yet again.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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In September 2014, TMZ published a grainy elevator security video that showed Ray Rice, the star running back for the Baltimore Ravens, punching his girlfriend in the face so hard that she was knocked unconscious.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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During the winter storm, the department’s official X account went viral for a series of self-aware, tongue-in-cheek posts that poked fun at drivers, the weather and even the officers themselves.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
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Hadn’t poked my nose in anywhere, hadn’t seen anything, and just really enjoyed watching the film.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punched. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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