1
as in slapped
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 drilled
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 punched
The Rockets are a team that lost its starting point guard (Fred VanVleet) at the start of the year while the Knicks brought back and built upon the exact same core that punched the franchise’s first ticket to the conference finals in the last quarter-century.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Manning allegedly punched and kicked Hartman in the face and torso, scratched her, choked her and grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the floor and wall.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Arizona, meanwhile, punched its ticket by steamrolling Purdue, 79–64, snapping a decades-long Final Four drought in the process.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The University of Michigan men's basketball team is Final Four-bound, while the men's hockey program also punched its ticket to the Frozen Four.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
The Heat clinched at least a play-in berth on Saturday night, with their postseason ticket punched with a Milwaukee Bucks loss.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
One of the officers then punched Curry on the side of the head with enough force that his head snapped to the side, according to the court document.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The first tickets were punched to the women’s Final Four as well on Sunday as UConn and UCLA won their Elite Eight matchups.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Sherrie James, a Houston resident, told local news outlet KHOU 11 that a possible meteorite, remnants from the meteor that was spotted, punched a hole through her ceiling and landed in one of the upstairs bedrooms in her home.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Manning allegedly punched and kicked Hartman in the face and torso, scratched her, choked her and grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the floor and wall.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Arizona, meanwhile, punched its ticket by steamrolling Purdue, 79–64, snapping a decades-long Final Four drought in the process.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The University of Michigan men's basketball team is Final Four-bound, while the men's hockey program also punched its ticket to the Frozen Four.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
The Heat clinched at least a play-in berth on Saturday night, with their postseason ticket punched with a Milwaukee Bucks loss.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
One of the officers then punched Curry on the side of the head with enough force that his head snapped to the side, according to the court document.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The first tickets were punched to the women’s Final Four as well on Sunday as UConn and UCLA won their Elite Eight matchups.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Sherrie James, a Houston resident, told local news outlet KHOU 11 that a possible meteorite, remnants from the meteor that was spotted, punched a hole through her ceiling and landed in one of the upstairs bedrooms in her home.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punched
Verb
-
Delhi skipper Axar Patel got the breakthrough when Sharma slapped him to cover and Nitish Rana took a tough chance above his head in the 10th over.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Andrej, wearing a backward Final Four cap, slapped his dad’s hand, went in for a hug and listened as his dad said a few words, both breaking into big smiles.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the summer of 1969, less than six months after the spill, several additional wells were drilled from Platform A.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Suárez found space in the box and drilled a volley in the 82nd minute to level the match at 2-2.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nico Hoerner, batting leadoff for the first time this season, was 3-for-5 with two doubles while Matt Shaw had two hits and drove in two runs for the Cubs (3-3).—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
After tracking down the address, Sanchez and her daughter drove to the 3-bedroom house on Eureka Drive and extracted Cesar.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rockies leadoff hitter Eric Young, in the team's first plate appearance at Mile High Stadium, smacked a home run to the seats in left-center field on April 9, 1993.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The pair also didn’t spare the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, who was smacked for 25 runs by Sharma in one over during the power play as Hyderabad cruised to 84 in the sixth over.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Large pieces of timber pierced the cab of the victim's truck, as well as the trailer and cargo within the trailer, causing some hazardous material to spill onto the roadway, the sheriff's office said.—
April 3,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The couple’s 3-year-old son was grazed in the back by the bullet that pierced Kaori’s skull, police and witnesses said.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That's when authorities said the homeowner allegedly pointed a gun at the worker, sending him running for his life.—
Erika Stanish,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
At a balloon release in November 2024 honoring his memory, family members described Williams, who ran his own carpet-cleaning business, as a hardworking, kind, gentle man devoted to his family and faith.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Video and witness statements, police said, revealed that Hussain was assaulted in the building’s lobby, struck and knocked to the ground before being forced toward his apartment.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Then in 1998, Buttered Popcorn knocked it from the top spot.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Thorns forward poked the ball through and Ball kicked her leg into Wilson’s path, taking her down inside the box.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Since then, the president has repeatedly poked at the vulnerability.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punched. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
