as in licking
to strike repeatedly
you should take a course in anger management—you can't go around punching out people
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Recent Examples of punching out
Danny Nelson starred again from the mound for Leominster in a 4-1 win over Shepherd Hill, allowing just three hits while punching out 10 in a complete game.
—
Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The third frame was his sharpest, with Snell pitching around a two-out error from Kim and punching out Jorge Mateo on a curveball to end his night.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Pérez looked in control almost immediately, striking out Garrett Mitchell to begin the game and punching out five through his first three innings.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
On Azaelea, the iconic 13th hole, McIlroy was again way offline, punching out from the pine straw and hitting a security rope on the ground.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
In the bottom of the eighth, former Giant Camilo Doval struck out the side, punching out Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey — all swinging.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
This bumps displacement from the Shiver's 896cc up to 996cc, punching out 105 hp at 9,000 rpm and 66 lb-ft of torque (95 Nm) at 6,500 rpm.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell tossed six scoreless innings, punching out nine and allowing just one hit.
—Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The third frame was his sharpest, with Snell pitching around a two-out error from Kim and punching out Jorge Mateo on a curveball to end his night.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Pérez looked in control almost immediately, striking out Garrett Mitchell to begin the game and punching out five through his first three innings.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
On Azaelea, the iconic 13th hole, McIlroy was again way offline, punching out from the pine straw and hitting a security rope on the ground.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
In the bottom of the eighth, former Giant Camilo Doval struck out the side, punching out Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey — all swinging.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
This bumps displacement from the Shiver's 896cc up to 996cc, punching out 105 hp at 9,000 rpm and 66 lb-ft of torque (95 Nm) at 6,500 rpm.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell tossed six scoreless innings, punching out nine and allowing just one hit.
—Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punching out
Verb
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That licking instinct may have led Jacobs’s elk to an area known as Flag Swamp, a one-acre wetland filled with blue flag irises and shrubby willow trees.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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Finally, monitor pets for behavioral changes, as pets may experience pain, licking or chewing at a wound, loss of appetite and lethargy.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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When the worker said yes, there followed a cacophony of voices, radios, and pounding boots as police stormed the property.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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One of my favorite side dishes starts by rehydrating them, then pounding them in a mortar and pestle to release all that concentrated flavor.—
Julie Lin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Officials found three passengers in the cabin and their suspect hiding in the lavatory, Bali immigration authorities said in a statement.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
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The platforms that win will be the ones enabling accountable data access and transparent decision-making, not those hiding behind complexity.—
Ivan Guzenko,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Lately, though, the president has upset religious conservatives by posting a Christ-like image of himself online as well as lashing out at Pope Leo and the Vatican.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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Iran’s lashing out at Israel for the sake of Hezbollah carries major risks.—
Sam Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Verb
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On Wednesday, the judge said that Sidhu had been given speeding penalties before the crash and had been working over 26 hours, with 16 of them being behind the wheel, per CBC.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Raw came back from break with all three teams taking turns working over Akira Tozawa.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Seahawks won those shootouts, but that was mostly due to their special teams whipping the Rams and their offense going off, especially in the Super Bowl qualifier.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
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Throughout the record, the image of Petras’ life in freefall recurs, giving the record a sense of hair-whipping freedom and heart-stopping urgency.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Everybody knows that there’ll be certain parts that are doing okay, but a large part of the society in North Korea is very poor.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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In coverage at Barron’s, Paul La Monica notes how Fidelity is probably doing this due to pressure from brokers like Robinhood that don’t have the same usual requirements.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
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As shoppers gear up for their European summer sojourns, brands are beating the tourist rush and setting up shop across the continent with temporary seasonal stores, beach club pop-ups and limited-time activations to capture the attention and dollars of the high-spending set.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
8 June 2026
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Fujimori, daughter of a disgraced former president, and Sánchez, an ally of an imprisoned ex-president, were on the runoff’s ballot after beating 33 other candidates in the vote in April, but neither earned even 20% of support.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punching out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punching%20out. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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