1
as in slapping
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 drilling
to make a hole or series of holes in
punch a ticket
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punching
Taddese is on the ground, bent over, face down, as a man kicks him, and the woman who was pushed, dressed in a black jumpsuit and barefoot, gets up and begins punching him.
—
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Samirah, the central performer, entrances Billie—her lyrics punching over vibrating beats, her voice gritty and sultry.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
Authorities haven’t revealed the subject of the argument, but say Lolohea made no attempt to assist Barber after punching him in the head.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Bernard played a key role in the playoff win in January by punching the ball out of tight end Mark Andrews’ hands.
—Associated Press, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Under Nathaniel Hackett’s 15-game watch of fans counting down the play clock, a player cursing out his quarterback, and teammates shoving one another on the sidelines and punching opponents, the sheer disconnect was comedic and horrifying.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
But a federal judge ruled against the police agency, concluding there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial — including a neighbor's cell phone video that captured a trooper punching the man in the face and slamming him to the ground.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Dennis tries to hug Roman, but Roman attacks him, punching him multiple times before leaving the hotel room.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
While the employees of Dunder Mifflin largely were just punching a clock, the Truth Teller staff enjoys their work.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Samirah, the central performer, entrances Billie—her lyrics punching over vibrating beats, her voice gritty and sultry.
—Lauren Morrow
september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
Authorities haven’t revealed the subject of the argument, but say Lolohea made no attempt to assist Barber after punching him in the head.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Bernard played a key role in the playoff win in January by punching the ball out of tight end Mark Andrews’ hands.
—Associated Press, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Under Nathaniel Hackett’s 15-game watch of fans counting down the play clock, a player cursing out his quarterback, and teammates shoving one another on the sidelines and punching opponents, the sheer disconnect was comedic and horrifying.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
But a federal judge ruled against the police agency, concluding there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial — including a neighbor's cell phone video that captured a trooper punching the man in the face and slamming him to the ground.
—Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Dennis tries to hug Roman, but Roman attacks him, punching him multiple times before leaving the hotel room.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
While the employees of Dunder Mifflin largely were just punching a clock, the Truth Teller staff enjoys their work.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punching
Verb
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Lewis stepped outside, the freezing wind slapping her in the face, and started walking.—
Jason Kane,
NBC news,
15 Sep. 2025
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Trade tensions between Beijing and Washington have been on a rollercoaster ride in 2025, with both sides slapping escalating tariffs on each other.—
AFP,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Trump has long berated Britain over its plans to stop drilling new domestic oil and gas, which could help power future AI data centers.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The demo, held at a granite quarry in Marble Falls, Texas, showed the company’s ability to vaporize rock using high-frequency electromagnetic waves, drilling 387 feet (118 meters) into solid granite without any physical contact.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nothing better than putting down the top and driving beautiful roads just after the rain stops and the air is powerfully charged by the nearby ocean, scrubbed clean.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The jury cleared Read of killing O’Keefe, charging her with just drunken driving.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Smith stretched as far as his body would allow, inadvertently hitting the splits in the process.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The region’s oft-sung-about grayness turns neon, swirling together in a piercing hue of evergreen and dark blues.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
16 Sep. 2025
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When Kim Kardashian and her 12-year-old daughter were spotted in Rome recently, the masses zeroed in on the dermal piercing North West had in her middle finger.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Hochul is running for a second term as New York’s governor.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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Traditional shoe testing depends on athletes running multiple sessions across weeks to produce a usable dataset.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle for most home runs in one season for a switch hitter after smacking his 54th dinger yesterday.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Troy Dye replaced Perryman, smacking Mahomes with a pair of solid hits on scrambles, and is likely to fill in again if Perryman can’t play.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2009, Tropicana replaced its familiar logo, an orange with a straw poking out, with a minimalist design featuring a glass of orange juice.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of Trump before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of a tree line.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punching. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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