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
Relevance
2
as in drilling
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 punching
Georgia finished the season with a record of 53-14, won the SEC regular season and tournament titles, along with punching its first ticket back to Omaha for the first time since 2008.
—
Hunter Delauder, AJC.com, 18 June 2026
He was also cuffed inside his Bronx home in 2024 after punching a family member in the face and choking them.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
While some light-duty drill presses are better suited for the home DIY enthusiast, others are made of sturdy materials and pack lots of power for punching through wood, ceramic, metal and concrete.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Bonaparte's daughter, a 15-year-old at the time, got out of the vehicle and started punching Turnipseed in the face, charging documents said.
—Bryant Reed, CBS News, 11 June 2026
These days, many would-be retirees are punching clocks in warehouses, toiling as home health aides, or serving customers in retail stores.
—Ann Larson, Time, 11 June 2026
In extreme cases, like intentionally punching another player, a referee can go straight to a red card and eject a player from the match.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Former Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite is no longer facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly punching a Denver Police officer in 2024 at Denver International Airport, but the officer is still suing him over the incident.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 June 2026
Interview With the Vampire started out in its very first episode with whorehouses, tap dancing, an aerial make-out, passionate monologuing, and Lestat punching a hole through the back of a priest’s head in a burning church.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 7 June 2026
Hunter Delauder, AJC.com, 18 June 2026
He was also cuffed inside his Bronx home in 2024 after punching a family member in the face and choking them.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
While some light-duty drill presses are better suited for the home DIY enthusiast, others are made of sturdy materials and pack lots of power for punching through wood, ceramic, metal and concrete.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Bonaparte's daughter, a 15-year-old at the time, got out of the vehicle and started punching Turnipseed in the face, charging documents said.
—Bryant Reed, CBS News, 11 June 2026
These days, many would-be retirees are punching clocks in warehouses, toiling as home health aides, or serving customers in retail stores.
—Ann Larson, Time, 11 June 2026
In extreme cases, like intentionally punching another player, a referee can go straight to a red card and eject a player from the match.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Former Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite is no longer facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly punching a Denver Police officer in 2024 at Denver International Airport, but the officer is still suing him over the incident.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 June 2026
Interview With the Vampire started out in its very first episode with whorehouses, tap dancing, an aerial make-out, passionate monologuing, and Lestat punching a hole through the back of a priest’s head in a burning church.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punching
Verb
-
The deputy's response, seen on bodycam video slapping the suspect during her arrest, is under review, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
In the run-up to the elections, Russia upped pressure on its ally by slapping import bans on Armenian products, including fresh fruit, flowers and spirits.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The crisis was certainly good for oil companies, but the really booming corner of the business was trading, not drilling; European majors outshone their US competitors in first-quarter earnings because of their robust trading desks.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
18 June 2026
-
About 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the Los Angeles River on May 22 after construction crews damaged a 16-inch pipeline while drilling for a fiber optic line near Cesar Chavez and Eastern Avenues, according to AQMD.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
And much of their Finals journey was overshadowed by the OJ Simpson case that began with a white Ford Bronco slowly driving down Southern California freeways in the middle of the opening game.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Investigators said Morabia Siddhi Suresh, 33, of Fremont, California, had been driving in rainy conditions when she was involved in a separate collision, according to Kentucky State Police.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
The purpose of any heat shield is to be sure the extreme temperatures that objects hitting Earth’s atmosphere experience don’t harm the crew or cargo inside the vehicle.—
Margaret Landis,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
In shallow water, children may fall or land on a dive stick, resulting in serious piercing injuries.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
12 June 2026
-
Telefone, the piercing 2016 breakout debut from Noname, turns ten this year, and the Chicago rapper is celebrating it with a late-summer anniversary trek.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
His nagging hamstring strain prevents him pretty much only from running full speed, but that was enough to land him on the 10-day IL.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Ahead of this week’s record IPO, SpaceX disclosed that Google has agreed to pay it roughly $920 million a month for compute capacity at its Memphis campus, access to something on the order of 110,000 GPUs running into 2029.—
Robert J. Szczerba,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Deputies responded to a report of a driver smacking his car into a guardrail in front of The Bridge Restaurant before driving away, according to a sheriff’s office news release.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
-
As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The post included a picture of a baby’s feet poking out from a blanket.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
In Labour circles, there is an old joke poking fun at Burnham’s chameleon-like ability to blend into whichever set of ideas is in vogue on the left at that moment in time.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punching. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
