Synonyms of punches

punches 1 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of punch

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

• slaps
• hits
• knocks
• smacks
• slams
• claps
• bangs
• whacks
• strikes
• clips
• swipes
• pounds
• kicks
• cracks
• jabs
• bats
• nails
• boxes
• shoves
• bashes
• thumps
• taps
• swats
• hammers
• pokes
• licks
• thwacks
• socks
• pushes
• flicks
• bludgeons
• stabs
• belts
• zaps
• chops
• tags
• bobs
• wallops
• clocks
• slugs
• bops
• smites
• raps
• clouts
• pastes
• bonks
• clobbers
• biffs
• strokes
• whales
• bumps
• busts
• slogs
• beats
• stamps
• mauls
• pummels
• cuffs
• slashes
• batters
• knees
• hangs one on
• peppers
• lashes
• roughs
• laces
• pelts
• whips
• jostles
• buffets
• butts
• mangles
• dumps
• bunts
• scuffs
• drubs
• decks
• prods
• flails
• lambastes
• spears
• switches
• creams
• bowls (down or over)
• fells
• pommels
• brains
• clubs
• saps
• canes
• knocks down
• floors
• thrashes
• conks
• beans
• levels
• sucker punches
• bungs
• sledges
• cudgels
• skulls
• flogs
• sledgehammers
• rabbit-punches

2

as in drills

to make a hole or series of holes in

punch a ticket

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drills
• pierces
• holes
• pokes
• punctures
• taps
• perforates
• bores
• cuts
• riddles
• penetrates
• pricks
• breaks
• slashes
• broaches
• splits
• gouges
• slits
• grooves
• notches
• hollows
• prickles
• burrows (into)
• excavates
• rends
• ruptures
• gashes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fills
• seals
• plugs
• patches

3

as in drives

to urge, push, or force onward

cowboys punching cattle

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drives
• runs
• herds
• whips
• presses
• eggs
• shepherds
• pricks
• spurs
• prompts
• prods
• goads
• wrangles
• exhorts
• flogs
• scourges
• hounds

punches

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural of punch

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

• blows
• slaps
• swipes
• thuds
• hits
• thumps
• knocks
• pounds
• strokes
• whacks
• pokes
• smacks
• spanks
• licks
• bangs
• beats
• clips
• slams
• hooks
• claps
• swats
• haymakers
• kicks
• chops
• lashes
• cuffs
• socks
• belts
• hands
• switches
• pelts
• thwacks
• biffs
• welts
• stripes
• bops
• fillips
• hacks
• slugs
• raps
• bats
• knees
• whams
• bashes
• smashes
• buffets
• stingers
• picks
• clouts
• boxes
• wallops
• dabs
• lickings
• cracks
• plumps
• swings
• counterpunches
• whops
• busts
• douses
• beatings
• larrups
• uppercuts
• lefts
• counters
• shivers
• roundhouses
• counterblows
• rabbit punches
• sucker punches
• whips
• counterstrokes
• rights
• knockdowns
• body blows
• KOs
• whippings
• batterings
• thrashings
• right-handers
• knockouts
• crunchers
• kayos
• sidewinders
• one-twos
• pastings
• drubbings
• bastinadoes
• wallopings

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

• punctures
• tears
• slits
• perforations
• cuts
• pricks
• pinholes
• stabs
• grooves
• pinpricks
• breaks
• slashes
• hollows
• gouges
• lacerations
• rips
• rents
• ruptures
• notches
• incisions
• gashes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of punches

Verb

Then the officer punches him in the face twice and uses a Taser. — Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Belgal is seen reversing and then driving out of the parking spot as one of the armed men punches the driver's side window and breaks the glass. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Separate video of the chaotic confrontation shows two showgirls fighting with a man and a woman, and one of the performers pulls the woman's hair and repeatedly punches her in the face and body. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

When Rocky refuses, Tommy punches Paulie, initiating a brutal street fight between Tommy and Rocky. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2026

Derrick Henry punches it in from 3 yards out a play later to take the lead. — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2026

The kitchen, meanwhile, is the most impressive part of the house and really punches above its weight for such a compact model. — New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026

The movie never punches for laughs, and the filmmakers are amazingly assured in their subtle style and their meticulous attention to detail. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2026

But there’s an irony here, in that the movie then punches down on Marjorie and her co-conspirators in turn. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

Noun

The flavor excels because each ingredient punches above its weight. — Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Nov. 2026

Once upon a time, Georgia-Florida was an annual heavyweight fight, two proud programs trading punches and championships while their fans traded insults and cocktails in Jacksonville. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2026

Michael rolls with his partner’s punches, seeing it as ordinary courtroom tussling. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

Mbilli, 31, a French-Cameroonian with an aggressive style and a high volume of punches, won the interim title by knocking out Maciej Sulecki in the first round in June 2025. — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Though the combat is scripted and the punches are pulled, the toll on their bodies is real. — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026

And a fair fight is not just two fighters throwing the same punches at each other for 50 years. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

In the opposite corner of the ring, Evloev is a freestyle fighter, getting a bunch of different kicks and punches to give him the edge. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Quite a few of those seeds were planted by Uncle Tim, my mom’s younger brother, who would enthusiastically play almost any game with his nieces and nephews … and never pulled any punches. — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026