punted; punting; punts

transitive verb

1
: to kick (something, such as a football or soccer ball) with the top of the foot before the ball which is dropped from the hands hits the ground
2
: to pass (something, such as a problem) to someone else
The mayor, according to his press release, has punted this problem back to city staff … John Lorinc
3
: to defer (something) indefinitely : table sense 1a
There's a sense that leaders around the state would rather punt the issue of high school sports … than make a difficult decision. Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME)

intransitive verb

1
: to punt a ball
2
: to defer a decision about something
often used with on
According to the report, the consensus for now appears to be to punt on whether an invention conceived of by AI is eligible for patent protection … Chethan K. Srinivasa
… while Congress continues to punt on the issue, four states passed ballot initiatives in 2014 to raise the minimum wage and cities across the country have committed to or already done the same. Katie McDonough
: the act or an instance of punting (see punt entry 1) a ball
: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with square ends usually propelled with a pole
punted; punting; punts

transitive verb

: to propel (a boat, such as a punt) with a pole
: the monetary pound of Ireland
punted; punting; punts

intransitive verb

1
: to play at a gambling game against the banker
2
British : gamble
plural punts
: a concave indentation in the bottom of a wine bottle

Examples of punt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Justin Faulk had the puck in the Blues’ zone with time and space to punt it out. Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025 The conversation followed a decision made by House Republicans — led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — to punt codifying the DOGE cuts until after September, delaying the process so lawmakers have more time to parse through the particulars. Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
He’s also averaged 23.8 yards per kick return and 9.2 yards per punt return. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025 The Blues struck twice in the first 90 seconds of Sunday’s contest and dominated on special teams – there were no long kick or punt returns but rather three power-play goals and a short-handed tally – to seize a crucial match. Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for punt

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

origin unknown

Noun (2)

Middle English *punt, from Old English, from Latin ponton-, ponto

Noun (3)

Irish, pound, from English pound

Verb (3)

French ponter, from ponte point in some games, play against the banker, from Spanish punto point, from Latin punctum — more at point

Noun (4)

probably a shortening of punt mark or a similar collocation with punt "metal rod used in fashioning hot glass" (shortened from punty), referring to the mark left by the rod in a piece of blown glass

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1845, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1759, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1975, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

1712, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (4)

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of punt was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Punt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punt. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with square ends usually pushed along with a pole

punt

2 of 4 verb
: to propel (as a punt) with a pole

punt

3 of 4 verb
: to kick a football before it touches the ground when dropped from the hands
punter noun

punt

4 of 4 noun
: the act or an instance of punting a ball
Etymology

Noun

Old English punt "a flat-bottomed boat pushed along with a pole," from Latin ponton-, ponto "punt, floating bridge, pontoon" — related to pontoon

Verb

origin unknown

Geographical Definition

a part of Africa not certainly identified but probably Somaliland
an ancient Egyptian name

More from Merriam-Webster on punt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!