as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
you should take a course in anger management—you can't go around punching out people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in fistfight
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punch out
ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Pérez looked in control almost immediately, striking out Garrett Mitchell to begin the game and punching out five through his first three innings.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
But back in the 2010s, Kershaw was a dominant strikeout pitcher who recorded at least 200 punch-outs in a season seven times during the ten-year span from 2010 to 2019.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch out
Verb
Alex tried to punch out from a awkward lie, but hit another tree, and the ball came to rest on the edge of the cart path, still 209 yards away.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Pérez looked in control almost immediately, striking out Garrett Mitchell to begin the game and punching out five through his first three innings.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
The two of them flirt, but of course the affair is not consummated, and Sergeant Sullivan pits them against each other in a punch-out exercise.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
But back in the 2010s, Kershaw was a dominant strikeout pitcher who recorded at least 200 punch-outs in a season seven times during the ten-year span from 2010 to 2019.
—Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch out
Verb
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The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2026
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At one point A’zion licks the digitally de-aged Mick Jagger’s face.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Noun
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In Milan, Italy, a fistfight erupted.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
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The series ends with Dean and Hunter – the Briar hockey new starting line – in a fistfight, paving the way for Season 2 (which has already been green-lit).—
Jennifer McClellan,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
Verb
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That day, Riley had been editing a sequence in which Corvette sneaks into a San Francisco condo owned by Christie, her fashion idol, by hiding inside a coffee delivery cart.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Bugs also tend to hide inside packaging, seams, or even the food itself.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Her silver nail polish—reminiscent of the shade worn by Lou Reed (from one New York legend to another) in footage shown during Todd Haynes’s documentary The Velvet Underground—sparkles as Gaga pounds the keys of her piano throughout the film.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
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The park in Arlington features pulse-pounding water slides, relaxing lazy rivers, and family-friendly play areas.—
Natassia Paloma,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
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While the killing dealt one of the biggest blows to ISIS’s global network in years, disrupting operations in northeastern Nigeria, the terror group's top leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, remains at large as Africa becomes the movement's global epicenter.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
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Annah’s resulting anguish is so uncomfortable for the others, that Ibrahim and Jacques practically come to blows.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Verb
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When the war began, a cornered Iran lashed out by attacking its neighbors in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a 45-year-old coalition of energy-rich Arab monarchies including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
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Harris also shows us the burn scars that ripple up Racine’s arm and across Anaia’s face, textured skin that makes strangers blanch, to which Racine lashes out defensively.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The Yankees started their slugfest in style against the Rays, as Judge’s big fly traveled 429 feet to the batter’s eye at Steinbrenner Field.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
20 Aug. 2025
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Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover Notes: It’s been a slow, ugly slugfest among the backup tight ends to see who can win the No. 3 job.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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There’s also a menu of small snacks, with mezzes like hummus, tzatziki, whipped feta, falafel, halloumi, artichoke and eggplant.—
Connie Ogle
May 15,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
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The one-time Ducks first-round draft pick whipped a shot through traffic from just above the slot.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punch out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch%20out. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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