punches 1 of 3

present tense third-person singular of punch
1
2
3

punches

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural of punch

punches

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural of punch
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

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 punches
Verb
As the officer is pinned down, one person repeatedly punches her in the head while another appears to strike her with an unidentified object before a second officer intervenes. Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026 Plus, the contrast stitching throughout both the top and shorts gives it a polished look that punches well above its $37 price tag. Jill Layton, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026 Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau punches the ball clear as Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic attempts to head the ball during a World Cup ground-stage match in Toronto on June 12, 2026. Sean Gregory, Time, 30 June 2026 Humble and simple, this Tomato-Basil Chicken punches way above its weight. Josh Miller, Southern Living, 28 June 2026 One area where the EM11 NL punches above its weight is connectivity. Sascha Brodsky, PC Magazine, 21 June 2026 In the 2015 track, Sonya’s boyfriend finds them by the pool and starts cussing them out, pushing Coley to the ground, who, in turn, punches him. Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026 Food and drink The restaurant is intimate, with seating for 40, but the food punches way above its weight. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 June 2026 Many of these nations have spent years building a footballing infrastructure that punches well above their demographic weight. Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 11 June 2026
Noun
The poster also alleged Martinez was the one acting racist and had thrown the spice tajín in her face before any punches were thrown. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 Members of Rita's loyalty program who use the Rita’s Ice app will get double loyalty punches with a purchase of the treat. Mike Snider, USA Today, 2 July 2026 Rey exploded on Ethan with 10-count punches, but a tilt-a-whirl was countered by Page with a sitout faceplant. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Classes typically cover correct stance, guard and foot positioning, basic punches and defensive movements like slips and rolls. Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026 Its 30mm drivers deliver balanced audio without distortion, and the sound quality punches way above its price point. Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026 The Daily Mail reports that a woman dressed in a black strapless dress ducked under a line divider and started throwing punches at a woman in her pajamas. Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026 The Los Angeles singer-songwriter’s latest is a crisp and candid twee pop record with unexpected studio touches and gut punches. Jude Noel, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026 No such punches could be seen on the video. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punches
Verb
  • Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.
    Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • That direct relationship is what separates a true farm to table operation from a restaurant that simply slaps the phrase on a marketing page.
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
Verb
  • He is hyperfocused on details and drills home teaching points relentlessly.
    Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026
  • The two countries conducted joint nuclear forces drills earlier this month.
    Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 30 May 2026
Verb
  • There is little reason to believe that a careful weighing of risk and benefit really drives interest in Colossal’s de-extinction efforts.
    Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
  • During his winter drives up Interstate 80 toward Lake Tahoe, Sean Bigley keeps his eyes peeled.
    Corey Schmidt July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
Noun
  • Holloway, even a Holloway who is nearing the end of his career with a somewhat suspect chin and ability to absorb heavy blows, wins this fight more times than not.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Rolling with the punches, though, is harder when the blows keep landing on the starting rotation.
    Jesús Cano, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Noun
  • The boy bore no signs of scrapes or skin punctures, so the family initially didn’t take him for medical care.
    Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 29 June 2026
  • Sure enough, all tires were up and there were no obvious punctures or hissing sounds.
    Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 28 June 2026
Verb
  • Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 5 July 2026
  • When a large body hits, some of the impact energy goes into vaporizing or melting rock right at the impact site.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • An ice sculpture of a heart includes a tube through the ice arrow that pierces the heart.
    Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old?
    Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Metro-North runs Yankee Clipper trains from Grand Central to Yankee Stadium for all weeknight and weekend games for about $5 to $8 each way.
    James McClellan, Curbed, 10 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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