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
Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
Food and drink Cosmo still punches above its weight on dining.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
This clever drink holder is another sneaky space saver that punches way above its weight.
—Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
The officer then punches her multiple times, apparently in the face and upper body.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
Places like Adelaide, Australia, a city within a park that punches above its weight with world-class wine, a booming food scene, and Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music designation.
—AFAR Media, 30 May 2026
At under $150, this one punches well above its weight.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 24 May 2026
Kyle Busch punches Joey Logano on pit road at Las Vegas!
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 21 May 2026
When Beulah’s ne’er-do-well son Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) drunkenly lobs slurs at Azul in a gas station parking lot, Azul reminds him his family’s been in Texas longer than the Jacksons — right before Rip punches Rob-Will out, of course.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 May 2026
David Millward, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
After punches were thrown, both players were suspended seven games.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
The officer who was injured was the victim of punches by a fan who entered and then refused to leave a restricted area.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
The exhibit pulls few punches, referring bluntly to pushback against racial progress, widening gaps between rich and poor and drivers of the conservative movement from presidents Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
But that punch, if devastating to Chakrabarti’s campaign, had clearly not knocked out Wiener — who was ready Tuesday night with a few punches of his own in a speech to his supporters.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
After one player from each team was ejected for throwing punches, Helix rallied from three runs down to defeat Covina 14-7 on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regional Division 3 playoffs.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
As the first in what would become a long line of gut punches, Ned Stark’s death in season 1 of Game of Thrones threw unsuspecting viewers for a loop.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
Stockstill was throwing punches, but not connecting.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026
Verb
During an intense scene, Simon punches a hole through a fellow actor’s face.
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
Food and drink Cosmo still punches above its weight on dining.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
This clever drink holder is another sneaky space saver that punches way above its weight.
—Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
The officer then punches her multiple times, apparently in the face and upper body.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
Places like Adelaide, Australia, a city within a park that punches above its weight with world-class wine, a booming food scene, and Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music designation.
—AFAR Media, 30 May 2026
At under $150, this one punches well above its weight.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 24 May 2026
Kyle Busch punches Joey Logano on pit road at Las Vegas!
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 21 May 2026
When Beulah’s ne’er-do-well son Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) drunkenly lobs slurs at Azul in a gas station parking lot, Azul reminds him his family’s been in Texas longer than the Jacksons — right before Rip punches Rob-Will out, of course.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 May 2026
Noun
For a sparsely populated state with only four votes in the Electoral College, Maine punches above its weight politically, which is reflected in the $300 million spent already by the campaigns and dark money Political Action Committees.
—David Millward, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
After punches were thrown, both players were suspended seven games.
—CBS News, 6 June 2026
The officer who was injured was the victim of punches by a fan who entered and then refused to leave a restricted area.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
The exhibit pulls few punches, referring bluntly to pushback against racial progress, widening gaps between rich and poor and drivers of the conservative movement from presidents Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
But that punch, if devastating to Chakrabarti’s campaign, had clearly not knocked out Wiener — who was ready Tuesday night with a few punches of his own in a speech to his supporters.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
After one player from each team was ejected for throwing punches, Helix rallied from three runs down to defeat Covina 14-7 on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regional Division 3 playoffs.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
As the first in what would become a long line of gut punches, Ned Stark’s death in season 1 of Game of Thrones threw unsuspecting viewers for a loop.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
Stockstill was throwing punches, but not connecting.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 2 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
-
The two countries conducted joint nuclear forces drills earlier this month.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
-
Minnesota has a desire to get Edwards off the ball more next season to create more of the easy catch-and-shoot looks the superstar routinely drills.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The scenario might be to treat 23rd, 34th, 42nd, 59th, 125th, and maybe the streets leading to the transverse drives across the park this way, giving them over to buses and bikes with some street-dining structures and greenery to boot.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
-
That rapid glucose spike drives insulin up and can contribute to metabolic stress over time.—
Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
From there, the two schools traded blows until intermission.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
2 June 2026
-
According to the coroner, there was evidence of nine blows to the victim’s head and neck.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Photos of the damage included in the report show three punctures, one about 46 inches long, on the left lower aft fuselage.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
-
In addition to the two smaller punctures, there were also dents and creases.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Carney hits the best notes at the film’s beginning and most notably at its tear-you-up end.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
Albert Pujols hits his 600th home run, the historic blast being a 4th-inning grand slam off Ervin Santana of the Twins in a 7-2 Angels win.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old?—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
-
Lockwood’s music instills joy in listening, and such revitalized desire leaves your body freshly tender, sensitive to whatever pierces the ear.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 48-team tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19, will include three-minute hydration breaks for players in each half of every game.—
Elmira Aliieva,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
-
The 2026 French Open runs from May 17 through June 7 at the Stade Roland-Garros complex in Paris, with semifinals and finals scheduled to be played at the iconic Philippe-Chatrier court.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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