as in licking
to strike repeatedly
you should take a course in anger management—you can't go around punching out people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 punching out
Danny Nelson starred again from the mound for Leominster in a 4-1 win over Shepherd Hill, allowing just three hits while punching out 10 in a complete game.
—
Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The third frame was his sharpest, with Snell pitching around a two-out error from Kim and punching out Jorge Mateo on a curveball to end his night.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 10 May 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
On Azaelea, the iconic 13th hole, McIlroy was again way offline, punching out from the pine straw and hitting a security rope on the ground.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
In the bottom of the eighth, former Giant Camilo Doval struck out the side, punching out Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey — all swinging.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
This bumps displacement from the Shiver's 896cc up to 996cc, punching out 105 hp at 9,000 rpm and 66 lb-ft of torque (95 Nm) at 6,500 rpm.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell tossed six scoreless innings, punching out nine and allowing just one hit.
—Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The third frame was his sharpest, with Snell pitching around a two-out error from Kim and punching out Jorge Mateo on a curveball to end his night.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 10 May 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
On Azaelea, the iconic 13th hole, McIlroy was again way offline, punching out from the pine straw and hitting a security rope on the ground.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
In the bottom of the eighth, former Giant Camilo Doval struck out the side, punching out Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey — all swinging.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
This bumps displacement from the Shiver's 896cc up to 996cc, punching out 105 hp at 9,000 rpm and 66 lb-ft of torque (95 Nm) at 6,500 rpm.
—New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025
Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell tossed six scoreless innings, punching out nine and allowing just one hit.
—Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punching out
Verb
-
Rahm is a more tame thrill ride who should be licking his chops at a venue like this, but could succumb to the conditions and never recover.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
Monitor pets for behavioral changes, as pets may experience pain, licking or chewing at a wound, loss of appetite and lethargy.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Joseph, Nomkhitha and the children stood silently around the dining-room table, trying to calm their pounding hearts; the littlest ones shivered from the cold and fear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
Eight miles down the road, Ragsdale’s friend and Alva’s former ESL teacher Lisa Weinstein woke up to pounding at her door.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Resourceful and determined to remain unseen, Becky is hiding deep in the woods while planning her own escape.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
-
Consider, too, that another longtime passion of Swift’s is hiding in plain sight.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Hurricane Fiona pummeled Puerto Rico in September 2022 as a Category 1 storm, lashing once more a power grid that hadn’t been rebuilt from Hurricane Maria.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
-
Lately, though, the president has upset religious conservatives by posting a Christ-like image of himself online as well as lashing out at Pope Leo and the Vatican.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Angie Moore, a bartender at The Do Drop Inn, a bar on Main Street, was working over the weekend and watched groups of kids running past the business several times, saw youths jumping on top of a car and spotted some who made it to the rooftop of a downtown building.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
-
On Wednesday, the judge said that Sidhu had been given speeding penalties before the crash and had been working over 26 hours, with 16 of them being behind the wheel, per CBC.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Vargas is accused of repeatedly whipping the cab’s hood with a belt, denting it, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
-
But listening to Magazine—their new 10-track, 11-minute album—that artful density becomes singular, swaying as much as whipping between its frantic ideas.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
La Roja needs quicker movement of the ball and its players, more adaptation to what the opponent is doing (Saudi Arabia is not going to play free and open after seeing what worked) and to be more ruthless.—
Patrick Sung Cuadrado,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
-
There is a psychological drive to try to get a second chance at doing something that didn't turn out well the first time.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Kane looked laboured and lost at Euro 2024 but England should be getting the best version of him in the coming weeks, which gives them a chance of beating any opponent.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Renard led the team in the 2022 World Cup, famously beating Argentina 2-1 in the group stage.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punching out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punching%20out. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
