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.
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Recent Examples of punch
Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Republicans punching above their weight Republican candidates, meanwhile, are remaining competitive despite far lower spending.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Lewis stunned Ziggy with a punch to the eye, jumped into the enclosure’s moat and escaped.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Verb
Atkinson, who finished with eight saves, punched away a shot from Aissata Traoré before denying an even better scoring chance for Boston moments later.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Republicans punching above their weight Republican candidates, meanwhile, are remaining competitive despite far lower spending.
—Grace Hase, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
The ultimate scene packs a punch here — without spoiling things, Abigail Onwunali is particularly powerful in a role that Wilson saves till the eleventh hour, and Boone goes to places at once frightening and devastating.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Lewis stunned Ziggy with a punch to the eye, jumped into the enclosure’s moat and escaped.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch
Verb
-
Draftniks slap grades on the quality of the picks based on their perceptions of where the player’s talent meets positional need.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Marcus Smart grabbed the ball and fired a two-handed pass to James, who bobbled it and slapped it to Luke Kennard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then Toluca goalkeeper Luis García watched as Tillman drilled a running header just wide.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Dani Weatherholt drilled a shot past Casey Murphy in the 53rd minute and then Ashley Sanchez evened up the game in the 76th minute.—
Boston Herald staff,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Daniel Schneemann then drove the next pitch just over the left-centerfield field wall for a two-run homer.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
As Sousa-Martins drove forward, another agent shot at him 13 times, injuring Sousa-Martins as well as Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles who was already in federal custody.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Met Gala lands smack in the middle of that window, on Monday, May 4 — its traditional first-Monday-in-May slot.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The boy smacks him in the mouth and then immediately starts crying.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If Bruce Springsteen’s greatest gift was mythologizing the existential open graves swallowing up blue-collar workers, Mellencamp’s was his piercing ability to at once celebrate and dismantle agrarian fantasy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Lockwood’s music instills joy in listening, and such revitalized desire leaves your body freshly tender, sensitive to whatever pierces the ear.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks made life difficult for him in the halfcourt, and once that happened, Atlanta’s offense kept running into dead ends.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Funding to run the Orange Line 24 hours a day, one of the first major service improvements that acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen floated after lawmakers approved new transit funding last fall.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And Silva hit a home run, her third, after attempting a bunt on the previous pitch.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Seattle Seahawks have already hit three of their biggest needs in the 2026 NFL Draft, taking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price on Thursday night in Round 1 and TCU safety Bud Clark and Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal in the second and third rounds on Friday.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When Andrei Vasilevskiy tried to poke the puck away, Bolduc had moved so deep into the crease area that the puck went off him and into the net for his first career playoff goal.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The host also poked fun at the Trumps’ living separately despite being married for 22 years.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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