1
as in slaps
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 drills
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in blows
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 punctures
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
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Recent Examples of punches
Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
The winner punches their ticket to the Final 2.
—Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 28 Sep. 2025
After they were both forced to strip while being held at gunpoint by Mancuso’s son Junior and associate Babbitt (Chris Coy), the brothers have a blowout fight on the side of a highway in their underwear, and Vince ultimately punches Jake in the face.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2025
Our Asia contributing editor Liz Shackleton sat down with the fest’s new director Jung Hanseok about his attempts to revamp Busan in its 30th year in a nation that punches well above its weight in the movie sphere.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Israel Adesanya of Nigeria punches Kelvin Gastelum during the UFC 236 event at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Yet the firm punches above its weight in custody, consistently ranking third behind Coinbase and BitGo.
—Marie Poteriaieva, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
One of the officers then punches him three times, according to the video.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
Jackson then mounts Smith in the video and punches him in the face almost two dozen times before other wrestlers pull him off.
—Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2025
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
The matches are pretty violent, with nasty punches to the face and vicious knees to the head.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Carter Yakemchuk continues to make his case for NHL minutes, but his most enduring moment on Tuesday was a lowlight, trying to stave off punches from Canadiens enforcer Florian Xhekaj.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
But when the weather turns crisp, visitors should turn their attention to the interior of the park, where New England hardwoods like oak, maple, and beech offer punches of color to the evergreen forest.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 26 Sep. 2025
Even after three seasons, the series still delivers unexpected twists and gut-punches.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
But the fact that nothing truly disturbing happens in that first scene might be the first hint that House of Guinness is willing to pull its punches, for better and for worse.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Bruce taught him Jeet Kune Do footwork, the mook jong dummy, and punches and kicks on the bag.
—Jeff Chang
september 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
The teams traded punches throughout Monday’s game and were deadlocked at 21-21 entering the fourth quarter.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
Bubba purposefully knocks a girl down with a dodgeball, and when Mary tells him to stop being mean, Bubba punches her.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
The winner punches their ticket to the Final 2.
—Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 28 Sep. 2025
After they were both forced to strip while being held at gunpoint by Mancuso’s son Junior and associate Babbitt (Chris Coy), the brothers have a blowout fight on the side of a highway in their underwear, and Vince ultimately punches Jake in the face.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2025
Our Asia contributing editor Liz Shackleton sat down with the fest’s new director Jung Hanseok about his attempts to revamp Busan in its 30th year in a nation that punches well above its weight in the movie sphere.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Israel Adesanya of Nigeria punches Kelvin Gastelum during the UFC 236 event at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Yet the firm punches above its weight in custody, consistently ranking third behind Coinbase and BitGo.
—Marie Poteriaieva, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
One of the officers then punches him three times, according to the video.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
Jackson then mounts Smith in the video and punches him in the face almost two dozen times before other wrestlers pull him off.
—Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
Ridley Scott, a filmmaker not known for pulling his punches, has issued a withering assessment on the health of Hollywood output right now.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
The matches are pretty violent, with nasty punches to the face and vicious knees to the head.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Carter Yakemchuk continues to make his case for NHL minutes, but his most enduring moment on Tuesday was a lowlight, trying to stave off punches from Canadiens enforcer Florian Xhekaj.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
But when the weather turns crisp, visitors should turn their attention to the interior of the park, where New England hardwoods like oak, maple, and beech offer punches of color to the evergreen forest.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 26 Sep. 2025
Even after three seasons, the series still delivers unexpected twists and gut-punches.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Sep. 2025
But the fact that nothing truly disturbing happens in that first scene might be the first hint that House of Guinness is willing to pull its punches, for better and for worse.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Bruce taught him Jeet Kune Do footwork, the mook jong dummy, and punches and kicks on the bag.
—Jeff Chang
september 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
The teams traded punches throughout Monday’s game and were deadlocked at 21-21 entering the fourth quarter.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punches
Verb
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The cilantro is key because its chlorophyllic sharpness slaps the stupor out of the starchy beans.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Richter asks before leaning on a chair upside down as Slater slaps his butt again.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If New England drills the Dolphins, head coach Mike McDaniel might not make it to Week 3.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Parsons attended Cowboys practices during training camp but has not participated in any team drills.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That electricity then drives electric motors to power propellers, with water vapor as the only emission.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The program focuses on one-on-one coaching that gives clients a step-by-step plan to grow their brand and confidently share their story in a way that drives growth and trust.—
Wyles Daniel,
AZCentral.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Your second step should be to determine how high flood water is likely to rise in your area if a storm hits.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
As the fashion week cycle continues, celebrity beauty hits an all-time high.—
Essence,
Essence,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the show's greatest asset is its stars, whose endearing real-life friendship pierces through the play’s inherent despair.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
-
When a leg pierces the surface, capillary forces cause the fan to spread open within milliseconds, creating a broad paddle.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Amazon has already dropped hundreds of deals on top-quality espresso makers ahead of its two-day Prime Big Deal Days event, which runs October 7 and 8.—
Mark Marino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Believing that debt doesn’t matter because growth will take care of it is the last stage of the cycle, when optimism runs ahead of reality.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bubba purposefully knocks a girl down with a dodgeball, and when Mary tells him to stop being mean, Bubba punches her.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
-
First, any major event such as a the emergence of DeepSeek that knocks the AI thesis could have a sizeable impact on the stock market.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Minnesota will be aggressive filling whatever holes spring up, and Reeve has proven to be resourceful.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Drill small pilot holes a half inch from the sides of the board.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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