1
as in slapping
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 drilling
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punching
Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that while LaBeouf’s attorneys were still aggressively pursuing their position and seeking monetary compensation from Barnett, a partying LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans on assault charges for allegedly punching two bar patrons.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
Everyone should be protecting their skulls 200 percent more in this situation and ideally also not punching each other.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
The Red Sox proved us right by punching their ticket for the first time since 2021, and then getting booted out by the Yankees in the first round.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
This time, Trout fouled them off, eventually punching a 98-mph fastball into right field for an RBI single.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
Footage released by the department appeared to show Shaffer-Brockwell getting out of her vehicle, running toward the pregnant woman's car, jumping on the hood and then forcefully opening the driver's side door and allegedly hitting and punching the woman in the face.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
West is facing first- and second-degree assault charges after allegedly punching a contractor during a dispute over stains in the carpet of his home in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
He had been arrested and charged with felony battery for allegedly punching a high school classmate in the groin area.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The 18-year-old was taken off the oval in 2022 for allegedly punching a high school classmate in the groin, leading to a felony charge that was reduced to a misdemeanor before eventually being dropped.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 18 Mar. 2026
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
Everyone should be protecting their skulls 200 percent more in this situation and ideally also not punching each other.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
The Red Sox proved us right by punching their ticket for the first time since 2021, and then getting booted out by the Yankees in the first round.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
This time, Trout fouled them off, eventually punching a 98-mph fastball into right field for an RBI single.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
Footage released by the department appeared to show Shaffer-Brockwell getting out of her vehicle, running toward the pregnant woman's car, jumping on the hood and then forcefully opening the driver's side door and allegedly hitting and punching the woman in the face.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
West is facing first- and second-degree assault charges after allegedly punching a contractor during a dispute over stains in the carpet of his home in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
He had been arrested and charged with felony battery for allegedly punching a high school classmate in the groin area.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The 18-year-old was taken off the oval in 2022 for allegedly punching a high school classmate in the groin, leading to a felony charge that was reduced to a misdemeanor before eventually being dropped.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punching
Verb
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When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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About 15 minutes later, another 911 call comes in from a woman named Jane Kowalski, who sees Denise Lee slapping the back window of King's car and hears her screaming for help.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Refineries differ somewhat from drilling in that they are partly concentrated in Texas (Houston, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, and Dallas) but also have a large presence in Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Bellingham, Wash.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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End-to-end rush, fabulous deke on the goaltender, drilling it home with the net bulging as instant proof.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kristopher David was driving to work Wednesday morning near the intersection of Broward Boulevard and Seventh Avenue when a black Audi, traveling westbound at a high rate of speed, T-boned his white BMW.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Wake early to catch the spectacle of sunrise before driving 30 minutes to the neighboring Santa Teresa.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rest of starters Tristan da Silva opened by hitting his first 3-pointer and made all four of his first-half free throws to reach 11 points by the break.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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The surge is also hitting refinance demand, not just purchases, as higher rates have reversed activity that had briefly improved earlier in the month.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But tungsten prices are particularly volatile during wartime – it’s used in armor-piercing artillery.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
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The ongoing investigation, led by Reisig, is sprawling, involving dozens of search warrants and arrests in Los Angeles County and Crescent City aimed at piercing the black-market world of fireworks that fueled the blast.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Current board members Kay Coen and Jeff Siems, who is also the school board vice president, are not running for re-election.—
Joseph Hernandez
March 29,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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Ultra Music Festival returned to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami for its second day Saturday, with music running from noon to midnight across seven stages.—
Miami Herald newsroom,
Miami Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But a leadoff walk in the top of the 9th allowed Eugenio Suárez to knock in what would prove to be the winning run, smacking a double to left center field and scoring pinch runner Javier Sonoja.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
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Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But rather than big Hawaiian swells, these waves were the crashing sounds of social media users poking fun at the look of the upcoming Disney film.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
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His father came around the corner in time to see his arms poking up above the rim, a cartoon character in need of rescue.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punching. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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