1
as in to slap
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 to drill
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
the real punch of the speech came in its closing lines
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in vigor
active strength of body or mind
we're going to need a candidate with real punch if voters are ever going to get excited about this election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in blow
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 puncture
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
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Recent Examples of punch
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 12 June 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman was fined a total of $10,000 for both punching Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers in the face, and squirting water on the Florida bench.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 June 2025
Every punch, dodge and recovery pushed the robots to their limits.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
The Zephyrs punched their ticket via a dramatic 7-6 victory over Hutchinson in the state semifinals on Thursday morning in Jordan.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 12 June 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman was fined a total of $10,000 for both punching Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers in the face, and squirting water on the Florida bench.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025
Noun
Get the recipe Party Punch This fruity punch is perfectly balanced, and can be made with or without alcohol.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 June 2025
Every punch, dodge and recovery pushed the robots to their limits.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
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These nimble vehicles are built to precise specs, and capturing racing footage from the driver's point of view isn't as simple as slapping a GoPro on and calling it a day.—
Julian Chokkattu,
Wired News,
16 June 2025
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The experience was shared on Reddit, where the passenger detailed how the person seated behind him, in first class nonetheless, repeatedly tapped and slapped the person's head and hat to awaken him to help retrieve a lost earbud.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2025
Verb
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This means fewer unproductive wells could be drilled, which would minimize the environmental impact of exploration.—
Jay R. Young,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Siakam drilled a 3 in the fourth quarter to help pull the Pacers within two, but the mistakes started piling up again.—
Shakeia Taylor,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Category Performance : Running and training categories experienced growth in Q3, driven by new launches (e.g., Pegasus Premium, Vomero 18).—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
19 June 2025
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The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The Giants haven’t had a 30-homer hitter in a single season since Bonds smacked 45 in 2004.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
16 June 2025
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In testing with a dozen real-world examples of ransomware, Bitdefender smacked down all but one.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2025
Verb
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In a completely spontaneous decision, Flom sat down and got one of his ears pierced with a sparkling stud, and Haven’s reaction was priceless.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
15 June 2025
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She was never seen alive again A handsome stranger with piercing blue eyes asked them for rides.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Verb
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The official compared Stefanik to current Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin, who ran unsuccessfully against Hochul in 2022, rising to a Cabinet position despite his relatively narrow loss.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
22 June 2025
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Our 6,000 members — and tens of thousands of New Yorkers — are practically running to the polls.—
Audrey Sasson,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2025
Verb
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The 33-year-old outfielder has a .278 batting average and has hit seven home runs in 72 games this season.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2025
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The Yankees have not suddenly forgotten how to hit.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Cunningham came to the defense of her teammate Clark, retaliating with less than a minute left on the clock after, earlier in the game, the Fever's superstar player was poked in the eye and then knocked to the ground by two separate Sun players.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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Then, during a play midway through the third quarter, Clark got poked in the eye by Sheldon and responded by giving the Sun star another shove.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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