sucker punch

verb

sucker punched; sucker punching; sucker punches

transitive verb

: to punch (a person) suddenly without warning and often without apparent provocation
sucker punch noun

Examples of sucker punch in a Sentence

One of them sucker punched me.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sucker punch was in 1964

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sucker punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sucker%20punch. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

sucker punch

verb
: to punch (a person) suddenly and usually without any obvious reason
sucker punch noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sucker punch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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