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
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
Visit Films is handling sales on the title, which punches well above the weight of its scrappy production with its brisk storytelling, compositional elegance and the crashing emotional wallop of its finale.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
The city’s reputation for postindustrial grittiness is largely outdated, and it’s filled with sprawling green spaces, cutting-edge museums, and a restaurant and bar scene that punches well above its weight class—without the crowds who often clog Edinburgh’s stateliest sites.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 20 Aug. 2025
Camari Solomon punches it in for Oviedo for the 2-yard run two plays after facing a third and long.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
Jeremiah punches Conrad, and the latter confesses his love to her.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 13 Aug. 2025
Seconds later, one man sucker-punches another partygoer, sending him flying headfirst into the water, as another man then jumps on top of him and lets loose with a flurry of follow-up punches.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
But as any fan of either show will tell you, both are adept at delivering emotional gut-punches that have been known to leave viewers in tears.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
According to reports, there were 12 punches thrown in the fight — all by Messier.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Most of the punches were blocked.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
In June 2024, Canelo shared a clip on Instagram of Saúl firing off punches.
—Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2025
Carini quit her Olympic bout against Khelif after just 46 seconds, as images of the Algerian's punches against Carini shook viewers across the world.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Nostalgia, as Sheeran learns, sometimes reopens wounds and invites emotional gut punches previously buried for self-protection.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
The man then gets up and trades punches with those surrounding him.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Visit Films is handling sales on the title, which punches well above the weight of its scrappy production with its brisk storytelling, compositional elegance and the crashing emotional wallop of its finale.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
The city’s reputation for postindustrial grittiness is largely outdated, and it’s filled with sprawling green spaces, cutting-edge museums, and a restaurant and bar scene that punches well above its weight class—without the crowds who often clog Edinburgh’s stateliest sites.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 20 Aug. 2025
Camari Solomon punches it in for Oviedo for the 2-yard run two plays after facing a third and long.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
Jeremiah punches Conrad, and the latter confesses his love to her.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 13 Aug. 2025
Seconds later, one man sucker-punches another partygoer, sending him flying headfirst into the water, as another man then jumps on top of him and lets loose with a flurry of follow-up punches.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
Ali was scoring plenty with jabs and flurries, but his attempts to land big punches mostly fell flat.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
But as any fan of either show will tell you, both are adept at delivering emotional gut-punches that have been known to leave viewers in tears.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
According to reports, there were 12 punches thrown in the fight — all by Messier.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Most of the punches were blocked.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
In June 2024, Canelo shared a clip on Instagram of Saúl firing off punches.
—Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2025
Carini quit her Olympic bout against Khelif after just 46 seconds, as images of the Algerian's punches against Carini shook viewers across the world.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Nostalgia, as Sheeran learns, sometimes reopens wounds and invites emotional gut punches previously buried for self-protection.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
The man then gets up and trades punches with those surrounding him.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punches
Verb
-
Instead, Ted slaps him in the face, twice.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Anthony thinks his fiancé wants a mother more than a partner, so Giuseppe slaps a pie into his face?—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 Aug. 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
-
Over half of the generation says hard work, not luck, drives success.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Security leaders have long viewed data as a strategic asset that drives insights, innovation and market advantage.—
Asaf Kochan,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When the Great Depression hits, these estates become the targets of an ideological clash.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The Emmy winner voiced a role in DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys 2 and will soon be seen starring alongside comedian Nate Bargatze in his TriStar Pictures comedy The Breadwinner, which hits theaters on March 13.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old?—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Windows 11 Pro is engineered to work with your PC—not against it—so your system finally runs like the powerhouse it was built to be.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
14 Sep. 2025
-
There is also, generally speaking, universal admission that boy, this game sure runs terribly on PC, leading to a huge number of negative Steam reviews, causing the game to be Mixed there.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His visit to her is the kind of single scene where an Oscar winner like Steenburgen knocks it out of the park.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The fun-loving entertainment hub doesn't yet have a US product page, but is up for pre-order on Amazon for US$799 (though there is a promo coupon available at time of writing that knocks a few dollars off that ticket price).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left outdoors.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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