as in body blow
Related Words
Relevance
as in to knock down
Related Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of sucker punch
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The Cowboys were down three members of an already-inept secondary in Denver, and Payton responded with an onslaught of sucker punches that never let up.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sucker punch
Verb
Tucker had a different take, saying that Fletcher was trying to sucker punch him.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The Cowboys were down three members of an already-inept secondary in Denver, and Payton responded with an onslaught of sucker punches that never let up.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sucker punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucker punch
Noun
-
This time, the Blackhawks put up a spirited fight, but couldn’t deliver the body blow to San Jose’s chances, falling 3-2 in a free-flowing and fun showdown between two of the league’s youngest teams.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The image of Pages making the catch, as Kiké Hernandez absorbs a body blow, is already seared into Dodgers lore.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Big man Neemias Queta even got in on the action for Boston, knocking down his first career 3 to go along with 10 rebounds.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
If voters ever knock down the tax, it cannot be reinstated.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The senior blasted a shot from 20 yards out from a sharp angle to the left to the top right corner to tie the game 2-2.—
Charles Baggarly & Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
-
In the two years since, Tisza has completely eclipsed Hungary’s old institutional opposition—a fractured gamut ranging from the far right to the left.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jeff Shell, now felled from his presidency of Paramount, is living proof.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Floorboards were milled from walnut trees felled at a construction site in North Carolina.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
2 Apr. 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
-
Those riots kickstarted the LGBTQ+ rights movement in America, and beyond.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Privacy law may apply to, say, a stranger who broadcasts a toddler’s febrile seizure to a potential audience of millions, but the same child generally cannot claim a legal right to privacy from his mother or father.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Many colorful creations deck the shelves of Hope & Plum.—
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Concertgoers wore thigh-high boots, rocked Cardi B’s classic schoolgirl look, and decked themselves out in homemade clothes.—
Jolene Almendarez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The season-ending reveal — Annette as the crime boss — is a big swing.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The Sky could take a major swing on the trade market to kick off free agency this week.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sucker punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucker%20punch. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
