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
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Recent Examples of punch
Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
God knows, Nebula manages to punch way above their weight with their reputation.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2026
Five minutes later, Ottawa's Ridly Greig and Brayden Schenn also exchanged punches.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
Sherrie James, a Houston resident, told local news outlet KHOU 11 that a possible meteorite, remnants from the meteor that was spotted, punched a hole through her ceiling and landed in one of the upstairs bedrooms in her home.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
God knows, Nebula manages to punch way above their weight with their reputation.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
Tommy Prine, son of Snider’s mentor, John Prine, set the tone with a gut-punch of a speech about Snider’s impact.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2026
Five minutes later, Ottawa's Ridly Greig and Brayden Schenn also exchanged punches.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
Police detectives found that Jones was assaulted in a fight that started when a woman slapped another woman who was with Jones outside the club.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
20 Mar. 2026
-
When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Her gravity makes space for off-ball orbiters Gianna Kneepkens and Gabriela Jaquez to drill 3s.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Braylen James drilled a two-RBI single followed by a Jaxon Casselberry sacrifice fly that narrowed the SCS lead to 8-4.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His dream of a free Havana became a driving force.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
-
In October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death.—
KRUTIKA PATHI,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Then reality smacks you in the face.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
That is another area in which dreams smack into the reality of Cuban state, which owns 80% of all arable land.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated March 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
According to court records, one of the bullets pierced the digital display of the cash register, shattering glass and plastic and causing injuries to the owner’s face, eye, hand and stomach.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Loud Sound Reduction is another nice-to-have perk carried over from the AirPods Pro series, letting the headphones reduce the severity of sirens, construction and other ear-piercing sounds.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Chicago Federation of Labor is also running a fundraiser for all federal workers impacted by the partial shutdown.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Currently, the group runs 18 restaurants across the city—some Michelin-acclaimed.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The ball then hit the football goal post crossbar and bounded down to Luis Duenas who headed it from point-blank range toward the net.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The organization doesn’t expect Owens to hit and pitch in the same game this year, but intends to build him toward that goal eventually.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The nurturing Moon pokes Mars today, drawing attention to your 2nd House of Objects and your 11th House of Groups.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Leah pokes her head out around his legs, her eyes wild with excitement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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