punched

verb

past tense of punch
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
3
as in drove
to urge, push, or force onward cowboys punching cattle

Synonyms & Similar 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 punched Adebayo approached Herro and, without hesitation, punched him. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026 Multiple people then kicked and punched one person lying on the ground as a few attendees and ushers broke up the fight, the videos showed. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026 Feig is at a high point thanks to The Housemaid, which punched above its weight class to earn more than $400 million globally on a $35 million budget. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026 Bunch punched back in an email to staff, which the Post reprinted. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026 The Pharaohs fought so bravely but, in trying to win the game before extra time, were sucker-punched by a gung-ho counterattack finished by Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández, who, alongside the GOAT, cried for Argentina at full time. — David Hickey, NBC news, 8 July 2026 Vargas’ strike went right at Colombian keeper Camilo Vargas, who punched it away. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026 Photos released by the CHP show a hole punched through the van’s windshield and a web of cracks surrounding it. — Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 That punched El Tri's ticket straight to the Round of 16 and kept the host nation's tournament dream alive for at least one more match. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punched
  1. slapped
  2. drilled
  3. drove
  4. smacked
  5. pierced
  6. ran
  7. knocked
  8. poked
Verb
  • Women slapped their heads with their hands in mourning, while men beat their chests in unison, a tradition observed at Shia Muslim funerals.
    — Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 6 July 2026
  • Chestnut drunkenly slapped a man at a bar in Indiana and pleaded guilty to the charge in April.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of slapped
Verb
  • Instead, Cole Carigg drilled a Scott slider for two-run double into the right-center gap to bring Castro and Karros home and tie the score.
    — Kyle Glaser, Oc Register, 7 July 2026
  • The Chileans drilled holes allowing workers to insert a camera and pinpoint his location.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of drilled
Verb
  • In April, in a four-game series against the New York Yankees, Trout hit five home runs and drove in nine runs.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Liberal return policies surged during the pandemic, with free return windows that can extend to as much as six months, as lockdown-weary shoppers drove an e-commerce boom.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 9 July 2026
Definition of drove
Verb
  • Eury Perez dominated with seven perfect innings, and the Miami Marlins smacked four homers before holding on for a wild 9-8 victory over the host Athletics on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
  • Wyatt-Hodge, who launched the tournament two weeks ago with a century against Sri Lanka, smacked a 32-ball fifty.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 June 2026
Definition of smacked
Verb
  • Even Good’s maroon Honda Pilot, the windshield pierced by Ross’s bullet, was bundled away by the FBI into a storage facility before state law enforcement could get a look at it.
    — Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
  • Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are just slightly tender when pierced with a fork or knife.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
Definition of pierced
Verb
  • Injuries, pitching problems, batting with runners in scoring position and base-running issues all come to mind quickly.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026
  • The TikTok edits, the outfit identification threads, the contestant rivalries trending on X by the end of an episode, all of it turns 60 minutes of passive viewing into a multi-platform conversation that runs all week.
    — Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of ran
Verb
  • Well, with decades of audio augmentation experience, Creative kind of knocked it out of the park with this little soundbar's SuperWide mode.
    — Joe Salas July 07, New Atlas, 8 July 2026
  • Trump responded to the funeral, saying Iran had been knocked the hell out.
    — Sophia Mandt, The Washington Examiner, 8 July 2026
Definition of knocked
Verb
  • After a scrappy passage of play in which Morocco failed to clear their lines, Desire Doue poked a loose ball to Mbappe on the left edge of the area.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 July 2026
  • But Ecuador’s Gonzalo Plata stuck up his left foot, just in front of Neuer, and poked the ball into the net.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 27 June 2026
Definition of poked

Browse Nearby Words

punch-drunk
punched
punched out
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Cite this Entry

“Punched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punched. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on punched

Nglish: Translation of punched for Spanish Speakers

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