sucker punching

verb

present participle of sucker punch
as in knocking down

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucker punching
  1. knocking down
  2. pushing
  3. dumping
  4. stabbing
  5. kicking
  6. slashing
  7. flailing
  8. switching
Verb
  • In addition to Goodson, the highlights for the Falcons on Wednesday included a long and leaping touchdown catch by Drake London, Zachariah Branch lowering his shoulder and knocking down a Colts defender and an improved run defense.
    — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • For many observers of American politics, the past few years have been disillusioning, knocking down hopeful beliefs about what the people of the United States will support or tolerate.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of knocking down
Verb
  • For the first time, Fed officials described the demand generated by AI infrastructure buildouts as something that could continue to drive up prices for tech products and electricity—thereby pushing up inflation.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Canada has responded with its own retaliatory tariffs and pledged an aid package for affected companies, with Prime Minister Mark Carney commanding public support for the economic pain that will result from pushing back.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of pushing
Verb
  • Tasks included scooping and dumping sand or gravel, digging and grading trenches, clearing debris from roads, removing tree branches from water edges, and breaking up rocks.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Another tale describes maintenance workers at the Old Zoo dumping spoiled soda syrup off the cliff, which lured swarms of bees.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of dumping
Verb
  • As officers worked on one stabbing scene, more calls came in — another stabbing, then another, then three more, all before officers tracked down and arrested the suspect nearby.
    — Maddie White, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • While at the scene, they were notified by BART police that a third stabbing victim had been found near the Fruitvale station.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • The camera, which panned back and forth in the MGM Grand, showed a group of people beating and kicking someone on the ground.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The La Jolla 18-year-old who admitted to kicking a sea lion faces a year in jail and $100,000 fine.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of kicking
Verb
  • Beijing has moved to insulate itself economically, slashing crude imports nearly 50% since the war started, according to The Wall Street Journal, and bolstering domestic energy.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • But there’s no sign Washington is serious about slashing the budget or raising taxes.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • Top McCain-Palin aides later acknowledged that backlash to the Couric interview, as well as Palin's flailing performance in other sit-downs, influenced the campaign's trajectory.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Benzina's spot kick was awarded after a VAR check penalized Algeria’s Lana Smits for catching Sakina Ouzraoui in the face with a flailing arm.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of flailing
Verb
  • Allow a hair dryer to cool down before switching attachments, since the end of the hair dryer can get very hot after use.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Treatment decisions are highly individualized and stopping or switching therapy requires careful discussion with an oncology team.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of switching
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

sucker punches
sucker punching
suckers
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Cite this Entry

“Sucker punching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucker%20punching. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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