as in body blow
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as in to knock down
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sucker punch
Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
As members of two California gangs poured out of a Las Vegas boxing match in September 1996, Tupac Shakur, the most famous rapper in the country at the time, sucker punched a rival.
—Gina Barton, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
The Milwaukee County Transit System's $10.9 million deficit landed a sucker punch to county officials in June and resulted in service cuts — but records show the warning signs were there months earlier.
—Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 12 Aug. 2025
On June 15, 2019, Ramirez ran up behind a 26-year-old African American grocery store employee and sucker punched him, breaking the employee’s nose and damaging two of his front teeth.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sucker punch
Verb
All that changed a few months before the shooting when Jones sucker punched Branton at a bar during an argument over a girlfriend.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
As members of two California gangs poured out of a Las Vegas boxing match in September 1996, Tupac Shakur, the most famous rapper in the country at the time, sucker punched a rival.
—Gina Barton, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
The Milwaukee County Transit System's $10.9 million deficit landed a sucker punch to county officials in June and resulted in service cuts — but records show the warning signs were there months earlier.
—Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 12 Aug. 2025
On June 15, 2019, Ramirez ran up behind a 26-year-old African American grocery store employee and sucker punched him, breaking the employee’s nose and damaging two of his front teeth.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sucker punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucker punch
Noun
-
Jaxson Hayes delivered the final body blow, throwing down an Eastbay dunk in transition after stealing the ball from Josh Giddey to put the Lakers up by 14 with just under three minutes remaining.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Repeated body blows from hurricanes, pollution, disease, climate change — and a near-knockout punch from a 2023 marine heat wave — has effectively wiped several species off the map and shrunk the reefs that stretch from the Keys throughout South Florida.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Texas newcomer Aaliyah Crump gives Schaefer another versatile defender on the perimeter with the capability of knocking down 3-pointers.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
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My dad used to say, when you get knocked down, Joey, just get up.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One officer spotted an open alcoholic beverage near Martinez but directed the car to keep moving and turn to the left.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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Xander Bogaerts followed by ripping a hard ground ball down the third-base line that hit the bag, kicked up into the air and dropped into left for a double.—
Noah Gulley,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Apartment buildings were felled by air strikes, and smoke billowed from the blasts; the buzz of Israeli drones filled the air.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Too many people, particularly those in my age group, have been felled by a cold that morphed into pneumonia, or a UTI that landed them in the hospital, or a simple stumble on a floor mat that resulted in surgery and months of physical therapy.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Before your boss could match dance steps to the music, his opponent was already kicking him in the groin and throwing rabbit punches.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2024
Noun
-
Sign up here to receive an email right as the chat is about to start.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission already has the power to investigate schools and enforce students’ rights, but it’s rarely used for that end.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Engineers quickly learned that the walls are stable, but the decking and steel beams need to be replaced.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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There’s also the Mignon bag, which is made to order and comes decked in an allover print of a 2024 illustration.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The swing pushed Nicaragua ahead 3-1 and put the Dutch one inning away from an 0-2 start.—
Noah Gulley,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Aiden Robbins took the most substantial swing of the night in that inning, driving a two-run, back-side home run to right field.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sucker punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucker%20punch. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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