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
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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
New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
This is really reminding me of that House episode where the runway model punches another model out and then collapses on the catwalk.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
Housing is one of those sectors that punches above its weight, thanks to all the other purchases that come with the purchase of a new home, such as services, appliances, furniture, and so on.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
In frame two, Gonzalez punches the ball through to Foden, who rotates with Doku to drift into a pocket of space.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Coley punches back, and Sonya manages to pull her off of him.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2025
Red Masks hold Fiona back Fiona as Constance punches her multiple times.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Wide receiver Anthony Eager runs for 21 yards on the reverse, and Bullock punches it in from the one-yard line.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 29 Nov. 2025
Our October cover confirmed the return of the elaborate design choice—one that punches far above its price point in terms of luxury.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 28 Nov. 2025
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
As the discovery process approaches neither side is pulling punches.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
That might mean a beachside lunch at the Cap Shack with rum punches, watermelon gazpacho, and a tuna poke bowl from a food truck.
—Jennifer Flowers, AFAR Media, 30 Jan. 2026
At the same time, the movie pulls its punches by never letting Linda and Bradley consummate their relationship.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Creighton got its revenge a month later in the Big East Tournament, where a late breakaway dunk nearly caused punches to be thrown.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
After a flurry of punches that would have felled a lesser team and coach, the Owls are still standing.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The Timberwolves began to sling 3-pointers and slam dunks, but the Bulls took those punches on the chin, holding off the onslaught by forcing second-chance points and drawing fouls.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
One of the film’s key emotional punches comes when Rachel questions Gustav about her suitability to star in his movie.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
For podcasts, streams, voiceovers and video calls, this unit punches above its weight.
—New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
This is really reminding me of that House episode where the runway model punches another model out and then collapses on the catwalk.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
Housing is one of those sectors that punches above its weight, thanks to all the other purchases that come with the purchase of a new home, such as services, appliances, furniture, and so on.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
In frame two, Gonzalez punches the ball through to Foden, who rotates with Doku to drift into a pocket of space.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Coley punches back, and Sonya manages to pull her off of him.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2025
Red Masks hold Fiona back Fiona as Constance punches her multiple times.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Wide receiver Anthony Eager runs for 21 yards on the reverse, and Bullock punches it in from the one-yard line.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 29 Nov. 2025
Our October cover confirmed the return of the elaborate design choice—one that punches far above its price point in terms of luxury.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 28 Nov. 2025
Noun
Amazon Prime miniseries run the gamut from psychological thrillers to nostalgic melodramas, proving short-form television can trade punches without overstaying their welcome.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
As the discovery process approaches neither side is pulling punches.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
That might mean a beachside lunch at the Cap Shack with rum punches, watermelon gazpacho, and a tuna poke bowl from a food truck.
—Jennifer Flowers, AFAR Media, 30 Jan. 2026
At the same time, the movie pulls its punches by never letting Linda and Bradley consummate their relationship.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Creighton got its revenge a month later in the Big East Tournament, where a late breakaway dunk nearly caused punches to be thrown.
—Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
After a flurry of punches that would have felled a lesser team and coach, the Owls are still standing.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The Timberwolves began to sling 3-pointers and slam dunks, but the Bulls took those punches on the chin, holding off the onslaught by forcing second-chance points and drawing fouls.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
One of the film’s key emotional punches comes when Rachel questions Gustav about her suitability to star in his movie.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punches
Verb
-
Boston Blue slaps a fresh coat of paint on Blue Bloods, the CBS procedural that ended its 14-season run last year.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Dec. 2025
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Speaking with Cocoa Butter about her most memorable roles, Calloway revealed that the moment Ike slaps Jackie came across so emotional and raw because the stunt went wrong.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Every college and pro coach drills the same message into their players’ heads, nothing good happens after midnight.—
Ryan Gaydos , Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
-
The state also limited preseason contact drills to six hours total and banned spring and summer practices.—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Modular software drives robots The platform emphasizes that software can evolve independently of hardware, enabling robots to learn new tasks and improve over time.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Patrick drives his dagger into Huw’s chest just as the cops show.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Alongside the likes of Slow Horses and Bad Sisters, Criminal Record has been one of Apple TV’s biggest UK hits.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
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This hits home for us in Massachusetts, and residents should be paying attention.—
Jennifer Nassour,
Boston Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Nicole Kidman's stare pierces the room.—
Jennifer Brett,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That new gondola runs three miles from a burgeoning base area, called East Village, to Park Peak, at 9,350 feet.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Each drone runs the same swarm engine locally.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Julio Cesar Chavez suffers his first loss in 91 fights when Frankie Randall knocks him down in the 11th round and wins the WBC super lightweight championship on a split decision.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
And then some thug comes along and knocks him over.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some of the roster holes the Lions faced in 2025 will be questions again in 2026.—
Colton Pouncy,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
In a series of posts made Wednesday on Instagram, Dacoda Nichole Jones accused the former SMU player of domestic violence over the course of several years, posting more than a dozen images that show bruises and wounds on her body, holes in the wall and broken cabinets.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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