sucker punching

Definition of sucker punchingnext
present participle of sucker punch
See the Dictionary Definition 

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucker punching
Verb
  • The role players consistently knocking down shots would be big too.
    Zach Harper, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Rough seas and hazardous underwater conditions repeatedly delayed search efforts as crews mapped and marked the cave entrance before pushing deeper inside.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
  • That’s why Stuart expects the energy crisis will get worse this spring and summer, pushing gas to $5 a gallon as soon as this month.
    Matt Egan, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • Foreign governments are dumping US Treasury bonds to stabilize their currencies amid the energy shock and financial volatility triggered by the Iran war.
    Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 19 May 2026
  • Ferm Living stackable metal baskets keep you from dumping clothes in a pile.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Authorities were hunting for three days for the suspect after a gruesome late-night stabbing murder on Sunday in a laundry room in the Nordheim Court apartments.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
  • An Alhambra man faces a possible 24-year prison sentence for fatally stabbing a 17-year-old boy waiting for his mother and for trying to kill a man, both in El Sereno, three years ago.
    Ruby Gonzales, Daily News, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Gas prices are kicking his butt right now.
    Tamara Keith, NPR, 19 May 2026
  • And as the primary’s final stretch nears, the campaigns are kicking into high gear.
    Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • Trump has also proposed slashing nearly $800 million from the park system’s roughly $3-billion operating budget.
    Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
  • Boston alone has proposed slashing 568 positions in a budget proposal passed by the local school committee in March, resulting in slashes to currently vacant positions but also including hundreds of layoffs.
    Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • As the two bond in short order, our previously flailing hero shapes up very quickly indeed, soon shedding his substance abuse problems and entering a healthy relationship with dreamy social worker Oscar (Diego Calva).
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 May 2026
  • On The Comeback, the flailing sitcom actress Valerie Cherish (played by Lisa Kudrow) is accustomed to sacrificing her dignity for the spotlight.
    Caroline Framke, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Chapter 10 expands upon that idea by adding an extra whiskey and switching up the ages.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 17 May 2026
  • Alba has long been open about her love of high-intensity workouts and switching up her fitness routines to stay motivated.
    Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 17 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sucker punching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucker%20punching. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster