as in licking
to strike repeatedly
you should take a course in anger management—you can't go around punching out people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of punching out
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
The horn section sounds deep and crisp, punching out riffs on Kupka’s brawny bari foundation.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 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
Outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson later had the game-clinching takeaway late in the fourth quarter after the Patriots had taken the lead, punching out the ball after a catch by Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers that cornerback Marcus Jones recovered.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 22 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
Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
The horn section sounds deep and crisp, punching out riffs on Kupka’s brawny bari foundation.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 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
Outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson later had the game-clinching takeaway late in the fourth quarter after the Patriots had taken the lead, punching out the ball after a catch by Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers that cornerback Marcus Jones recovered.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 22 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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The spotless streets are polished nightly by the feet of families licking ice cream.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
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On April 30, 2025, the dog was reportedly licking its tail and lethargic.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Using traditional Ukrainian folklore songs, voiceover plus pounding music, the stakes these young people confront become clearly apparent.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
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Everything around him pounding in its pulse, the song of the world thronging in all its discord.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Living together made hiding harder.—
Jennifer Wolfgram,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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In the first episode, this group, which also includes Belle Skinner (Arielle Kebbel), Andrea Cruz (Ash Santos) and Miles Kittle (Tatanka Means), is searching for some bad guys hiding in the depths of the ranch.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And yet, Trump has also managed to avoid complex questions about those issues — the most pressing before his administration — and despite Democrats and some of his own supporters lashing out over them.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Noem and her chief adviser Corey Lewandowski -- who is reportedly also departing DHS -- both had a knack for lashing out, yelling and berating staff that crossed them, according to sources.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Using clean hands and working over a colander, wring out the extra water and tear the soaked bread into pieces.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Taylor also weighed in on keeping her cool on stage when things go wrong, such as embracing her wig flying off and whipping it around her head, the proper form for double-dutching and having patience in Hollywood.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
26 Feb. 2026
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Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Similarly, Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said in December that the bank is doing a lot more because of AI.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
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An officer monitoring a vehicle X-ray machine did not detect anything wrong with the vehicle, but another officer doing a physical inspection spotted the woman’s foot, according to the complaint.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Alajuelense returned the favor, beating LAFC 2-1 at BMO Stadium a week later, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Black & Gold from continuing on the road to finishing runners-up to León.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) celebrates after beating Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom (40) for the game-winning goal during overtime in an NHL hockey game at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Dallas.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punching out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punching%20out. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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