1
as in slaps
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
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2
as in drills
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
the poor palooka wasn't able to land a single punch on his opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in punctures
a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument
old computers used to get information by reading the punches on a series of cards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punches
Isabel Yip, NBC news, 1 Feb. 2026
As a point of comparison, the most petite room covers 225 square feet, but still punches above its weight in design.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
For podcasts, streams, voiceovers and video calls, this unit punches above its weight.
—New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
This is really reminding me of that House episode where the runway model punches another model out and then collapses on the catwalk.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
Housing is one of those sectors that punches above its weight, thanks to all the other purchases that come with the purchase of a new home, such as services, appliances, furniture, and so on.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
In frame two, Gonzalez punches the ball through to Foden, who rotates with Doku to drift into a pocket of space.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Coley punches back, and Sonya manages to pull her off of him.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2025
Red Masks hold Fiona back Fiona as Constance punches her multiple times.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
This modest but super-smart production punches way above its weight.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Jones, who also had 10 rebounds, was a force inside, while Hackett and Mporokoso traded 3-pointers in the second half like two boxers exchanging punches.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
As tempers flared, legislators were seen pushing one another, with some hurling punches.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The two exchanged punches before Stewart grabbed hold of Bridges and put him in a headlock, before coaches, security and players finally separated everyone involved.
—Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
More melodic variation might have elevated these more reserved passages; Sutkowski’s pull-no-punches songwriting usually isn’t enough to shoulder the weight on its own.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
From that moment forward, the two Bay State Conference foes traded punches throughout, exchanging one run after the next.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
The two-man game with Miles also gives TCU one of the best 1-2 punches nationally and could be the key to the Horned Frogs repeating as Big 12 champions in the regular season and at the conference tournament in Kansas City next month.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
Kingsley Ibeh, right, punches Jarrell Miller during a heavyweight boxing match in New York City on Saturday.
—Isabel Yip, NBC news, 1 Feb. 2026
As a point of comparison, the most petite room covers 225 square feet, but still punches above its weight in design.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
For podcasts, streams, voiceovers and video calls, this unit punches above its weight.
—New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2026
This is really reminding me of that House episode where the runway model punches another model out and then collapses on the catwalk.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
Housing is one of those sectors that punches above its weight, thanks to all the other purchases that come with the purchase of a new home, such as services, appliances, furniture, and so on.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026
In frame two, Gonzalez punches the ball through to Foden, who rotates with Doku to drift into a pocket of space.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Coley punches back, and Sonya manages to pull her off of him.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2025
Red Masks hold Fiona back Fiona as Constance punches her multiple times.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Noun
Its lacing system moves away from traditional hole punches for all but its two upper eyestays, with the rest replaced by cord loops that allow for a more personalized fit.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
This modest but super-smart production punches way above its weight.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
Jones, who also had 10 rebounds, was a force inside, while Hackett and Mporokoso traded 3-pointers in the second half like two boxers exchanging punches.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
As tempers flared, legislators were seen pushing one another, with some hurling punches.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The two exchanged punches before Stewart grabbed hold of Bridges and put him in a headlock, before coaches, security and players finally separated everyone involved.
—Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
More melodic variation might have elevated these more reserved passages; Sutkowski’s pull-no-punches songwriting usually isn’t enough to shoulder the weight on its own.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
From that moment forward, the two Bay State Conference foes traded punches throughout, exchanging one run after the next.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
The two-man game with Miles also gives TCU one of the best 1-2 punches nationally and could be the key to the Horned Frogs repeating as Big 12 champions in the regular season and at the conference tournament in Kansas City next month.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punches
Verb
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Boston Blue slaps a fresh coat of paint on Blue Bloods, the CBS procedural that ended its 14-season run last year.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Speaking with Cocoa Butter about her most memorable roles, Calloway revealed that the moment Ike slaps Jackie came across so emotional and raw because the stunt went wrong.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Everette, who with punter Brett Thorson and long snapper Beau Gardner are the former Bulldogs competing in Senior Bowl drills this week, is adjusting to life after Georgia football.—
Mike Griffith,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Every college and pro coach drills the same message into their players’ heads, nothing good happens after midnight.—
Ryan Gaydos , Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Unlike body composition metrics, BMI obscures the true extent of metabolic dysfunction and cannot distinguish between muscle and fat — or between superficial fat and the visceral fat that drives diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.—
Bret Scher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Some of what also drives Honnold is making the world a better place.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Quince's version is made with 24 percent spandex for extra stretch and features a high-cut leg that hits just right to cinch your waist.—
Claire Gallam,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2026
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Witherspoon was one of the Seahawks’ stars of the game with a sack and two QB hits, one of which led to an interception from Patriots QB Drake Maye.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Nicole Kidman's stare pierces the room.—
Jennifer Brett,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Monroe Hammond joined Everyday Health in 2021 and now runs the news desk as an editor.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
OpenAI says the new model runs 25% faster than the previous version and achieves state-of-the-art performance while using fewer computing resources.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Opportunity knocks on software stocks, including Microsoft (MSFT), Salesforce (CRM), and ServiceNow (NOW), which all got slammed in Thursday's trading amid pressure on the software sector ETF (IGV) from artificial intelligence (AI) disruption concerns.—
Jeff Kilburg,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Julio Cesar Chavez suffers his first loss in 91 fights when Frankie Randall knocks him down in the 11th round and wins the WBC super lightweight championship on a split decision.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some of those trails, initially seen in January, were made by moving dirt to clear a space and creating small mounds and/or holes in the ground to jump over.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The major effect results when the compost penetrates the aeration holes.—
Calvin Finch,
San Antonio Express-News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punches. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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