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
Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Sep. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for sucker punch
Verb
His late driving finish in the semi-final second leg seemed destined to send them into the final, only for Inter to conjure an even later sucker punch.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Sep. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for sucker punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucker punch
Noun
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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
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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
Verb
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Lelevicius provided an early spark off the bench with 11 points in the first half, including knocking down two 3-pointers.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
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The Hornets, a 43% field-goal shooting team coming in, hit only 18 of 47 (38%), and really struggled from distance, only knocking down 8-of-28 (28%) of their 3-pointers.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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San Diego unveiled a new Brazilian trio with Dudinha on the left, Ludmila in the middle and Gabi Portilho on the right-hand side.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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Westwood star guard Kavian Bryant grabbed the rebound, but turned the ball back over to Paradise with 8 tenths of a second left.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Greek tragedies, the hero is felled by a fatal flaw.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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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
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Sign up here to receive an email right as the chat is about to start.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
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Activists Salomé García, who focuses on publicizing the plight of political prisoners in Cuba, and Norges Rodríguez, director of YucaByte, which covers censorship and violations of the right to information in Cuba, also demanded that right at the press conference.—
Sarah Moreno
March 16,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The last major decking project like this, Hudson Yards, left a sour taste in the mouth of many New Yorkers.—
Ben Guttmann,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Winnie the Pooh clothing Fans of all ages can deck themselves out in Pooh fashion.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Adam Scott and his timeless golf swing should continue to pick off various longevity records in the coming years.—
Justin Ray,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
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That swing, at least for the moment, equalized things.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sucker punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucker%20punch. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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