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
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
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Aeration can be done with a core aerator that punches shallow holes in the surface, or with a shovel or a rototiller that turns the soil more deeply.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Mansfield punches ticket, eliminates Weatherford Mansfield pulled away with 4 runs in the top of the seventh inning to clinch a playoff berth and eliminate Weatherford from contention, 7-2, in a District 3-6A game on Tuesday night at Weatherford High School.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
On instinct, Lindsay punches her in the face.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Seconds later, the man in a New York police vest punches the unidentified man in the face.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
But one of the most critical tests will come during reentry Friday, as the Orion space capsule punches through Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour, enduring temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
Pros & Cons Vizio's Mini LED Quantum 4K QLED Smart TV punches far above its weight class.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The operator takes another swing, but the man ducks, punches the operator, then knocks him down, raining punches on his head before a bystander separates the two.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Dallas and Minnesota throw punches from your weight class.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
At least one officer throws several punches as other officers hold Ebuehi down.
—Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The footage captured of the chaos shows several women trading punches, pulling hair, and absolutely kicking the crap out of each other all over the restaurant's dining area.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Then Freeman woke up Friday morning to the news that was delivering gut punches throughout the baseball world, that Anderson had passed away Thursday at 53.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Several men are seen throwing punches, followed by some of them falling forward down the stairs.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
Benches cleared, and cooler heads did not prevail, though no punches were thrown.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Sakurai premiered his new trailer at CinemaCon, with fresh footage that showed plenty of epic kicks, punches and cool moves – as well as a sense of humor – but also showcased the film's emotional story line.
—James Powel, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
The catcher receives the signal, checks his wrist band, then punches the command into his PitchCom.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Aeration can be done with a core aerator that punches shallow holes in the surface, or with a shovel or a rototiller that turns the soil more deeply.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Mansfield punches ticket, eliminates Weatherford Mansfield pulled away with 4 runs in the top of the seventh inning to clinch a playoff berth and eliminate Weatherford from contention, 7-2, in a District 3-6A game on Tuesday night at Weatherford High School.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
On instinct, Lindsay punches her in the face.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Seconds later, the man in a New York police vest punches the unidentified man in the face.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
But one of the most critical tests will come during reentry Friday, as the Orion space capsule punches through Earth's atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour, enduring temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
—Brendan Byrne, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
Pros & Cons Vizio's Mini LED Quantum 4K QLED Smart TV punches far above its weight class.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The operator takes another swing, but the man ducks, punches the operator, then knocks him down, raining punches on his head before a bystander separates the two.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
Pitch invasions, punches thrown (allegedly) and promotion by a whisker in the 103rd minute.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Dallas and Minnesota throw punches from your weight class.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
At least one officer throws several punches as other officers hold Ebuehi down.
—Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The footage captured of the chaos shows several women trading punches, pulling hair, and absolutely kicking the crap out of each other all over the restaurant's dining area.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Then Freeman woke up Friday morning to the news that was delivering gut punches throughout the baseball world, that Anderson had passed away Thursday at 53.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Several men are seen throwing punches, followed by some of them falling forward down the stairs.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
Benches cleared, and cooler heads did not prevail, though no punches were thrown.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Sakurai premiered his new trailer at CinemaCon, with fresh footage that showed plenty of epic kicks, punches and cool moves – as well as a sense of humor – but also showcased the film's emotional story line.
—James Powel, USA Today, 16 Apr. 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
-
Embiid, a 7-foot-0, 280-pound, 32-year-old native of Cameroon who won league MVP honors in 2023, participated in some of the Sixers’ drills just 15 days removed from emergency appendectomy surgery.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2026
-
For kids, there will be a mobile video game truck, skills and drills stations, inflatables, balloon and caricature artist and a face painter.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That drives pocket-protector wearing water engineers a little crazy, because steady outcomes are what these men and women live for.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Thousands of Samsung Electronics workers rallied Thursday at its computer chip complex in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, demanding higher bonuses and threatening to strike as booming demand for artificial intelligence drives up memory-chip profits.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The nonprofit holds a 26% stake, plus warrants if OpenAI hits certain valuation targets.—
Deepa Seetharaman,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Searchlight is in development on Lottery, a Permut Presentations drama about a young man with Down syndrome who, after winning the lottery, flees his estranged mother and hits the road with a charming new friend who has ulterior motives of her own.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Lower the heat to medium-high and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and a paring knife easily pierces a potato, about 15 minutes.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Newsom’s budget-cutting vow runs counter to his record.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Cheek initially runs towards the pass but gambles on the ball bouncing over the defender and runs behind him.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The female actually knocks him down to the ground.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Unfortunately, Lace delivers a kick that knocks Jinx on his back, inflaming an old injury.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mirroring the 3-star wig cap structure, this wig featured three combs (left-side, right-side, nape), a drawstring, wig band insertion holes, and a 13×4 lace.—
Noel Cymone Walker,
StyleCaster,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The penetration holes indicate that the internal facility is likely bombed out, destroying anything that was inside.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
