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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of punch
Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Apr. 2025
Play it safe, punch it back into the fairway, take your bogey and move on.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Different plants supply you with different antioxidants that can pack a greater anti-inflammatory punch together.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
Crushed raspberries and beer, vermouth sangria, a hot pink watermelon punch, and more cooling sips for summertime.
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Apr. 2025
Play it safe, punch it back into the fairway, take your bogey and move on.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
Golden and Jayden Reed become the 1-2 punch at wide receiver for the Packers.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Different plants supply you with different antioxidants that can pack a greater anti-inflammatory punch together.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
The film, a part of the sprawling Marvel franchise, was approved for release in China before Washington and Beijing slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other.—
Casey Hall and Sophie Yu,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
-
Local News In 2020, Jennifer Vasquez alleged he was kicked, slapped and shoved by husband In a 2020 protective order, Jennifer Vasquez alleged that her husband verbally abused, kicked, slapped, and shoved her.—
Mikenzie Frost,
Baltimore Sun,
1 May 2025
Verb
-
After Murray drilled a three-pointer and assisted Aaron Gordon on a three-pointer for a 17-point Nuggets lead, Lue called a timeout with 2:35 left in the game and removed his starters.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
-
My grandmother drilled that in me almost 70 years ago.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Bracing for impact Meanwhile, expectations of a hit to the global economy from Trump’s tariffs have helped drive energy prices lower since April 2, as traders predict less demand for fuels.—
Olesya Dmitracova,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
-
From the stage is where Chen primarily drives the story of Bad Boy.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Guests can also hop a free shuttle to the hotel’s sister property, Skylark Negril Beach Resort, smack on Seven Mile Beach.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Someone on the other team took a shot at him, and the puck tipped right under his visor and hit him in the eye, squarely smacking him right in the eyeball.—
Meredith Wilshere,
People.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Nothing but quick and shocking outbursts of violence can pierce the movie’s surfaces of overheated restraint.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Graham Hoffman, 29, was transporting a patient following a routine medical call from police on Sunday when he was stabbed in the chest, piercing his heart.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Similar ads have been run for 9/11 and other times of crises.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
-
In the standard studies, climate models are run with and without the carbon dioxide that humanity has pumped into the atmosphere through fossil fuels and land use changes.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot, crossing over Antetokounmpo and driving to the basket for a right-handed layup with 1.3 seconds left.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
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Batters are hitting just .075 against his four-seam fastball and .167 against his changeup.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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The actor also poked fun at his name in a pre-show interview with Pat’s daughter, Maggie Sajak, after thanking her for saying it correctly.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
1 May 2025
-
Pickard poked fun at himself late in the regular season for doing a double-pad stack in 2025.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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