punted; punting; punts
1
: to kick (something, such as a football or soccer ball) with the top of the foot before the ball which is dropped from the hands hits the ground
2
: to pass (something, such as a problem) to someone else
The mayor, according to his press release, has punted this problem back to city staff …—
John Lorinc
John Lorinc3
: to defer (something) indefinitely : table sense 1a
There's a sense that leaders around the state would rather punt the issue of high school sports … than make a difficult decision.—Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME)
Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME)1
: to punt a ball
2
: to defer a decision about something
—often used with on
According to the report, the consensus for now appears to be to punt on whether an invention conceived of by AI is eligible for patent protection …—Chethan K. Srinivasa
Chethan K. Srinivasa… while Congress continues to punt on the issue, four states passed ballot initiatives in 2014 to raise the minimum wage and cities across the country have committed to or already done the same.—Katie McDonough
Katie McDonough
: the act or an instance of punting (see punt entry 1) a ball
: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with square ends usually propelled with a pole
punted; punting; punts
: to propel (a boat, such as a punt) with a pole
punted; punting; punts
Examples of punt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Then the Chiefs got just one first down before punting.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
The Miami Dolphins’ Malik Washington ran back a punt return 74 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter in their matchup against the New England Patriots, and the Pats’ Antonio Gibson fired back with a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown directly after.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punt
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Verb
But the Comanches were forced to punt on their next two drives and came up short on the potential game-winning drive in the final seconds.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Then the Chiefs got just one first down before punting.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
Tre’Von Moehrig lost a one-on-one third-down rep against McBride that would’ve yielded a punt in the first half.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
The Miami Dolphins’ Malik Washington ran back a punt return 74 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter in their matchup against the New England Patriots, and the Pats’ Antonio Gibson fired back with a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown directly after.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punt
Cite this Entry
“Punt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punt. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
punt
1 of 4 noun
: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with square ends usually pushed along with a pole
punt
2 of 4 verb
: to propel (as a punt) with a pole
punt
3 of 4 verb
: to kick a football before it touches the ground when dropped from the hands
punter
noun
punt
4 of 4 noun
: the act or an instance of punting a ball
Etymology
Noun
Old English punt "a flat-bottomed boat pushed along with a pole," from Latin ponton-, ponto "punt, floating bridge, pontoon" — related to pontoon
Verb
origin unknown
Geographical Definition
Punt
geographical name
a part of Africa not certainly identified but probably Somaliland
—an ancient Egyptian name
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