as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion
punch-drunk from having stayed up all night, she struggled through the exam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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-drunk
Guiducci arrives at a moment when some of that anger has subsided, and the punch-drunk culture seems counterintuitively eager to escape into nostalgia and tastemaking, splashy profiles, and — just sometimes — confrontational journalism.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Having given us a punch-drunk vision of romantic dilemmas in her masterpiece of a debut, Song now delivers a more practical, hangover-adjacent look at how the human need for relationships gets turned into a bespoke luxury item.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Only the most punch-drunk partisan would give Republicans as much as a 50-50 chance of succeeding Gavin Newsom.
—Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
It’s better described as a series of springy volleys backward and forward through time—the movie ping-pongs between 2019 and 2006, with stops in between—that leave you feeling a little dizzy, even a bit punch-drunk.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The notion that anyone might make a beeline to turn this punch-drunk nonsense into a new Statham franchise seems unlikely.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024
What’s going on is that the movie is getting punch-drunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Having given us a punch-drunk vision of romantic dilemmas in her masterpiece of a debut, Song now delivers a more practical, hangover-adjacent look at how the human need for relationships gets turned into a bespoke luxury item.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Only the most punch-drunk partisan would give Republicans as much as a 50-50 chance of succeeding Gavin Newsom.
—Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025
It’s better described as a series of springy volleys backward and forward through time—the movie ping-pongs between 2019 and 2006, with stops in between—that leave you feeling a little dizzy, even a bit punch-drunk.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The notion that anyone might make a beeline to turn this punch-drunk nonsense into a new Statham franchise seems unlikely.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024
What’s going on is that the movie is getting punch-drunk.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch-drunk
Adjective
-
The clip shows Britt going to pet Roger, who appears dazed in his unfamiliar surroundings.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Max and his family watch in dazed amazement at telecasts at the bunker show the world destroyed by nuclear war.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Everybody seems bewildered by this news, his own wife most of all.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Layered in cream, bruised, bewildered, bald.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
When my first biopsy came back as noncancerous, everyone was confused.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
-
One of the abstentions on the VFC coverage vote was Meissner, who didn't want to strip the recommendation or the VFC coverage but was entirely confused by how this would work in practice.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Keen observers may witness small flocks of Phalaropes swimming in dizzy circles in the quiet ponds.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
-
There’s also something of the McIlroy highwire act with Alcaraz, especially in the breathless blitz of brilliance that rises to the top and then drops off from the dizzy heights of the rollercoaster.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
If the behavior stops when distracted, boredom is likely the cause.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The high-profile nature of Stone’s case raises awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and reliance on surveillance technology, pressuring the manufacturers to assess the accuracy of their products to prevent this tragedy from occurring again.—
John Perlstein,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The sight left her stunned, and panic set in quickly.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
-
While sitting at his desk, Colbert read aloud portions of an article confirming Kimmel’s suspension to the stunned studio audience, according to one audience member, Monserrat Lopez.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punch-drunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch-drunk. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share