punch1
/pʌn(t)ʃ
/verb [with object]
1Strike with the fist: he punched her in the face and ran off...
- The men assaulted the guards, knocking the male to the floor and kicking and punching him while pointing a gun at him.
- She climbed in the kitchen window and saw him with a knife, the court heard, and believing she was at risk kicked and punched him to the floor.
- Another man, in a Mercedes coupe, was punched and kicked as he grappled with carjackers who struck at Dudley Hill in the city.
Synonyms
hit, strike, knock, thump, thwack, jab, cuff, clip, smash, slam, welt;
batter, buffet, thrash, pound, pummel, rain blows on, drub, box someone's ears
informal sock, slug, biff, bop, wallop, clobber, bash, whack, clout, crown, poke, lick, let someone have it, knock into the middle of next week, lam, whomp, deck, floor
British informal stick one on, dot, slosh
North American informal boff, bust, whale
Australian/New Zealand informal dong, quilt, king-hit
literary smite, swinge
2Press (a button or key on a machine): I punched the button to summon the lift...
- He swung the machine aside and punched a few buttons on a control panel, hoisting the machine up to the left side of the ceiling.
- I punched the button again, pressing my finger against the stupid button until the area around my nail was white with pressure.
- He reached over and punched a unmarked button on the side of the machine that could only be described as a doorframe.
2.1 (punch something in/into) Enter information by punching a button or key on a machine: he crossed to the VDU on his other desk and punched in a series of numbers...
- You only have to punch the information into a drum machine once.
- As well, many transactions such as banking that used to require fronting up to a real person can now be done by punching numbers into a machine.
- They'll simultaneously punch random buttons in separate elevators at the Waldorf, and if they emerge on the same floor, it'll be kismet.
3North American Drive (cattle) by prodding them with a stick.
noun
1A blow with the fist: he reeled under the well-aimed punch...
- They ram into the wall, exchanging body blows and punches as they scuffle.
- A woman staying on the same corridor heard loud punches and likened the blows to those sometimes heard in TV programmes.
- But domestic violence doesn't always manifest itself in punches and blows.
Synonyms
blow, hit, knock, thump, thwack, box, jab, fist, cuff, clip, smash, slam, welt, straight, uppercut, hook, body blow
informal sock, slug, biff, bop, wallop, bash, whack, clout, poke, lick, belt
North American informal boff, bust, whale
Australian/New Zealand informal dong, king-hit, stoush
dated buffet
archaic plug
1.1 [mass noun] informal The strength needed to deliver a blow: he has the punch to knock out anyone in his division...
- Just when both sides appeared to be settling for a point Nish delivered the killer punch when he popped up at the back post to convert Hamilton's miss-hit shot.
1.2 [in singular] informal The power to impress or attract attention; impact: photos give their arguments an extra visual punch...
- The full force of his indomitable logic hits you like a power punch!
- A caffeinated punch adds to its powers of rejuvenation.
- Their breakthrough song undoubtedly rocks the venue, with the power punch of a stand-out track.
Synonyms
vigour, vigorousness, liveliness, vivacity, vitality, force, forcefulness, drive, strength, zest, animation, verve, panache, enthusiasm, impact, bite, kick, effectiveness, influence
informal oomph, pizzazz, zing, zip
Phrases
beat someone to the punch
punch above one's weight
punch the (time) clock
punch someone's lights out
Phrasal verbs
punch in (or out)
Derivatives
puncher
/ noun ...- Graham opens a drawer in the abandoned Apollo Mission Control room and someone's stuff is still in there: rubber stamps, stationary supplies, and paper punchers.
- It is going to be a very explosive fight between two aggressive punchers.
- In his two defeats, both by knockout, he lost concentration and showed that, like many big punchers, he can be rendered unconscious too easily.
Origin
Late Middle English (as a verb in the sense 'puncture, prod'): variant of pounce1.
The punch that means ‘to strike’ was first used in the sense ‘to puncture or prod’, which is probably where the term for a tool for making holes comes from. Ultimately, the word goes back to the same source as point and poignant. A person doing something that might be thought to be beyond their capacity or ability can be said to be punching above their weight. This is a boxing metaphor—contests are generally arranged between opponents of nearly equal weight. The drink punch, first mentioned in English in 1600, has a completely different source. It seems to come, via Hindi, from Sanskrit pañca ‘five, five kinds of’. The drink originally had five ingredients—strong alcohol, water, fruit juices, spices, and sugar. Finally, there is the Punch that appears in the early 19th-century expression pleased as Punch (or proud as Punch), referring to the gleeful self-satisfaction of the grotesque hook-nosed male character of the Punch and Judy Show. Punch was originally a dialect term for a short, fat person and is a short form of Punchinello, the name of a stout hook-nosed character in traditional Italian theatre.
Rhymes
punch2
/pʌn(t)ʃ/noun
1A device or machine for making holes in materials such as paper, leather, or metal.Use those bits of leftover wrapping paper and a hole punch to make confetti (a great job for the kids)!...
- Give each child a handful of hole punches and let them have sprinkle these over the paper.
- You may put a hole in the top with a paper punch and tie a ribbon through the hole.
2A tool or machine for impressing a design or stamping a die on a material.He began to concentrate on the design and manufacture of punch, stamp and draw tools for the production of metal car panels....
- Hollerith designed punches specially made for his system, the Hollerith Electric Tabulating System.
- After it is cut down, sheet stock goes to the turret punch to get holes put in as needed, goes to a brake press to be bent.
verb [with object]
1Pierce a hole in (paper, leather, metal, etc.) with or as though with a punch: she handed him her ticket, which he punched and returned with a grin...
- Corresponding holes in the front of the parfleche were punched with a tapestry needle.
- The papers are neatly punched, indexed and occasionally underlined with red pen.
- Megawati shouted to her supporters while demonstrating how to punch ballot papers for her party's number and logo of a bull with a white nose at a soccer field in the town of Gianyar.
Synonyms
make a hole in, put/punch holes in, perforate, puncture, pierce, prick, hole, riddle, spike, skewer, spit, stick, pin, needle
rare pink, transpierce
1.1Pierce (a hole) with or as though with a punch: you can grow the seeds in a yogurt pot with a hole punched in the bottom...
- In most manufacturing, the flash hole is simply punched through the bottom of the primer pocket.
- In a small garden, fill plastic rubbish sacks with them, tie the tops, punch a few holes at the bottom, and leave them to rot down in a quiet corner of the garden till next autumn.
- He punches spy holes in the wooden shutters so when he is indoors he can look out whether he is sitting or standing.
Origin
Early 16th century: perhaps an abbreviation of puncheon1, or from the verb punch1.
punch3
/pʌn(t)ʃ/noun [mass noun]
A drink made from wine or spirits mixed with water, fruit juices, spices, etc., and typically served hot: we sat drinking our rum punch...
- Iced tea, fruit punch, water, milk, coffee, and hot tea were complimentary.
- Pick your choice of tipple from white or red wine, fruit punch or lager as your peruse the menu and enjoy live reggae music from a local band.
- Fruit punch made from fruit juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C, providing about 35g of vitamin C per serving.
Origin
Mid 17th century: apparently from Sanskrit pañca 'five, five kinds of' (because the drink had five ingredients).
punch4
/pʌn(t)ʃ/noun
1 (Punch) A grotesque, hook-nosed humpbacked buffoon, the chief male character of the Punch and Judy puppet show. Punch is the English variant of a stock character derived ultimately from Italian commedia dell’arte. Also called Punchinello.
2 (in full Suffolk punch) A draught horse of a short-legged thickset breed.The Suffolk Punch is the oldest and now rarest breed of heavy horse....
- Our conservation herd of about 40 horses is among the last surviving Suffolk Punch, a breed that originated more than two centuries ago in eastern (Norfolk and Suffolk counties) England.
Phrases
as pleased (or proud) as Punch
Origin
Mid 17th century (as a dialect term denoting a short, fat person): abbreviation of Punchinello.