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
Alison Herman, Variety, 14 May 2026
After beating the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime Wednesday, the Cavs’ first road win of the 2026 playoffs, a win Friday at home punches those tickets.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Perhaps the most animated of all is the bald guy with the clipboard who jumps for joy and punches the air.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
Despite its small size, South Korea punches way above its weight culturally — and the Western world has taken notice.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
This speaker punches well above its weight!
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 May 2026
David then rushes forward and punches Niemi in the back of the head at least twice, according to the video.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philly punches well above its weight.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
The catcher receives the signal, checks his wrist band, then punches the command into his PitchCom.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
There were more hugs after the fight between the two than punches landed, and, in total, far more time clocked during those hugs than the fight itself.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Roma defender Wesley and Lazio midfielder Nicolò Rovella were spotted throwing punches at each other in the second brawl and both were shown red cards.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Roses are notoriously finicky and prone to diseases like black spot and powdery mildew, so this tougher version that could roll with the punches and didn’t require regular spraying with fungicide seemed like the champion of shrub roses.
—Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 16 May 2026
Facing the endless Cylon onslaught in the void of space is terrifying even in 2D battles, but many of Scattered Hopes' gut punches happen during unexpected narrative events or tough choices that doom entire ship populations.
—Ian Stokes, Space.com, 15 May 2026
Those two know how to roll with the punches, and their new series knows what its viewers want.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
The southpaw is renowned for his hand speed, his eye-catching footwork and his ability to find angles for punches, which can leave opponents bamboozled.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Those citrusy flavors continued on the palate with hefty punches of grapefruit, and even, less aggressively, green apple.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 May 2026
Verb
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
After beating the Detroit Pistons 117-113 in overtime Wednesday, the Cavs’ first road win of the 2026 playoffs, a win Friday at home punches those tickets.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Perhaps the most animated of all is the bald guy with the clipboard who jumps for joy and punches the air.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
Despite its small size, South Korea punches way above its weight culturally — and the Western world has taken notice.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
This speaker punches well above its weight!
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 May 2026
David then rushes forward and punches Niemi in the back of the head at least twice, according to the video.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philly punches well above its weight.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
The catcher receives the signal, checks his wrist band, then punches the command into his PitchCom.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
In the lightweight division, Salahdine Parnasse (23-2) defeated Kenneth Cross (17-5) in the first round after landing a flurry of punches and dominating him early.
—Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
There were more hugs after the fight between the two than punches landed, and, in total, far more time clocked during those hugs than the fight itself.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Roma defender Wesley and Lazio midfielder Nicolò Rovella were spotted throwing punches at each other in the second brawl and both were shown red cards.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Roses are notoriously finicky and prone to diseases like black spot and powdery mildew, so this tougher version that could roll with the punches and didn’t require regular spraying with fungicide seemed like the champion of shrub roses.
—Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 16 May 2026
Facing the endless Cylon onslaught in the void of space is terrifying even in 2D battles, but many of Scattered Hopes' gut punches happen during unexpected narrative events or tough choices that doom entire ship populations.
—Ian Stokes, Space.com, 15 May 2026
Those two know how to roll with the punches, and their new series knows what its viewers want.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
The southpaw is renowned for his hand speed, his eye-catching footwork and his ability to find angles for punches, which can leave opponents bamboozled.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Those citrusy flavors continued on the palate with hefty punches of grapefruit, and even, less aggressively, green apple.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punches
Verb
-
Anderson slaps his hit down the right field line, just fair.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
At the end of the night, during the bows, Butler slaps the guys playing her two antagonists gently on their butts, a gesture that would have jarred in most stagings but fully in keeping with the inclusive, humanistic vibe of this production.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By competition, Tolbert is referring to all the on-field, and off-field drills the Dolphins have been doing this offseason, which get so competitive players routinely request to see the film because a daily winner is declared, and the leader is tracked.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
-
If the samples test positive, then the company drills to validate the discovery, secures rights to the site, and sells the rights off to a mining company.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
In confident markets, industrial demand drives silver’s price, Anya-Gafu says.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
-
Criminalizing hemp and marijuana drives the black market and helps the cartels, not the people.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
This incident also led to Eckert and Hellberg nearly coming to blows before being separated by the fourth official.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange blows, mainly in southern Lebanon, since a nominal ceasefire took hold last month.—
Compiled byDemocrat-Gazette stafffrom wire reports,
Arkansas Online,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Attenborough communicated with the tribe using gestures, looked at their personal ornaments and enquired about the pegs in the ritual punctures in the nose of one of the men.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
The pay reality punctures that myth entirely.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When a heat wave hits, millions of air conditioners switch on at once, straining the electric grid and driving up the risk of outages — and residents’ power bills.—
Kiki Sideris,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
Zesica Flutter-sleeve Smocked Midi Dress Flattering and versatile, this dress hits the sweet spot between refined and playful.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Its 1959 Googie-style sign pierces the sky, a beacon of hope for weary road-trippers cruising this achingly lonely stretch of highway.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jon Hilsenrath, who runs the economic advisory firm Serpa Pinto and covered the Federal Reserve for 26 years at The Wall Street Journal, has puzzled over the same issue, and reads the silence as a form of triage.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
The Grand Canyon Railway runs daily between the town of Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of the canyon inside Grand Canyon National Park.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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