See the Dictionary Definition 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucker punching
Verb
-
French guard Marine Johannes was equally unstoppable, knocking down five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points on top of five rebounds, three assists and three steals.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026 -
The aftermath of the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision knocking down a key protection in the Voting Rights Act is reverberating across the nation.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Brunson took the opening that gave him and ripped the game open from there, scoring 14 of the Knicks’ first 33 points and pushing them to a 33-25 lead after one.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
-
Say what’s real without pushing too hard or trying to control the outcome.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Severe thunderstorms barreled through the Kansas City area early Monday, unleashing frequent lightning and booming thunder, dumping torrential rain and triggering a tornado warning.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Investors bought tech stocks viewed as supporting the AI infrastructure buildout and dumping those seen as threatened by its adoption.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The man was later convicted of stabbing his girlfriend and is serving 15 years in prison for the attack.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Preliminary information indicated the stabbing victim may have been mistaken for another person, police said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Kansas City Current players spent time with the Lynx players in their quick two-day visit, taking a break from kicking soccer balls to swap jerseys and shoot hoops.—
PJ Green
April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
-
These days, nobody’s kicking Cantens out of FIU’s gym.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Politicians from both parties are slashing rates and spinning loopholes.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The new budget proposes slashing OCR funding by 35%.—
Sequoia Carrillo,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Starmer — who is facing relentless domestic criticism over a flailing economy and his appointment of the disgraced Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, while grappling with a surging far-right opposition — will be praying for a smooth visit.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The flailing Mets returned home Tuesday to a quieter reception than manager Carlos Mendoza and his players anticipated with the club trying to snap an 11-game losing streak.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
State and federal policymakers should cooperate to roll back pervasive and excessive occupational-licensing restrictions, which make switching jobs or upskilling needlessly difficult.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
-
All the bullpen chaos and the name-switching and injuries and only one off day really in this whole stretch … the starters getting deep into games is what really sets that up to be possible to happen, in my eyes.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Sucker punching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucker%20punching. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
