1
as in to slap
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
after the man had punched the bartender for eighty-sixing him, bouncers stepped in and restrained him until the police could arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to drill
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
the real punch of the speech came in its closing lines
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in vigor
active strength of body or mind
we're going to need a candidate with real punch if voters are ever going to get excited about this election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the poor palooka wasn't able to land a single punch on his opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in puncture
a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument
old computers used to get information by reading the punches on a series of cards
Synonyms & Similar 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 punch
Christine Pelisek, People.com, 2 June 2025
McCallum earned his nickname by repeatedly punching the body and head.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
Jenelle Riley, Variety, 2 June 2025
Among the Afro-Caribbean food and drink options inside the stadium were Jamaican beef patties, jerk chicken burgers, fruit punches and Supermalt.
Nigerian supporter Cliff Ediale came while celebrating his 28th birthday.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
The suspect missed and then punched the worker in the chest before running off.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 2 June 2025
McCallum earned his nickname by repeatedly punching the body and head.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
Noun
And the finality of it just really was a gut punch.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 2 June 2025
Among the Afro-Caribbean food and drink options inside the stadium were Jamaican beef patties, jerk chicken burgers, fruit punches and Supermalt.
Nigerian supporter Cliff Ediale came while celebrating his 28th birthday.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
Five months after passing an ordinance to ban smoking in parks, the city of Fort Lauderdale finally slapped stickers on existing signs about this prohibition that do not get people’s attention.—
John Michael Pierobon,
Sun Sentinel,
25 May 2025
-
Over the course of two days, groups got the chance to see 21 humpback whales feed and raise their pectoral fin before slapping it against the water, along with 15 Risso’s dolphins, the group said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Chisholm, fresh off the injured list following an oblique strain, drilled Tanner Bibee’s first pitch of the frame at 105.7 mph.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2025
-
Bryant continued making timely plays by drilling a corner 3 with about eight minutes left in the third quarter, his second of the night, to push Indiana’s lead to 11 points.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
Verb
-
Adrienne Long, 38, of Magnolia was killed around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday after a 2015 Chevrolet driving north on U.S. 79 near Magnolia crossed the turning lane and collided head-on with the 2015 Nissan that Long was driving south, according to a report.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2025
-
Goldstein drove Boozer home with a sacrifice fly and Corral plated the go-ahead run with a single through the right side.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 June 2025
Verb
-
The two smacked into each other last Thursday trying to catch a Cedric Mullins fly ball, leaving both with concussions.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
23 May 2025
-
Indiana’s first unit smacked opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, according to Cleaning the Glass.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
Your allies probably have LGBTQ+ coworkers, cousins or that person from their yoga class who has a labret piercing and a rainbow carabiner.—
Anna Pulley,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
-
This mistake of not tackling law, tax and financial decisions in a unified manner results in the corporate veil being pierced, personal assets being liquidated, and even bankruptcies and liquidations.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
Bennet, who is now running for governor, and Tester largely ignored the protesters, who interjected throughout the event, as they were escorted out or asked by security not to disrupt.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
29 May 2025
-
On the first half-court possession of the game, Boston ran a handoff with Sydney Colson on the wing, springing her for a clean jumper at the free-throw line.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 June 2025
-
At the end of February, a pedestrian was hit in West London by an ebike rider in West London — not a rental or sharing scheme, to be clear — and died after a month in hospital.—
Nicole Kobie,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
That victory put O’Malley back in the rankings. O’Malley’s next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
-
Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev poked fun at the explosive war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, offering to mediate peace between the two political allies.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share