punching out

verb

present participle of punch out
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

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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 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 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 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 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punching out
  1. licking
  2. pounding
  3. hiding
  4. lashing
  5. working over
  6. whipping
  7. doing
  8. beating
Verb
  • But the Carolinas have their own ways of making barbecue finger-licking.
    — Amethyst Ganaway, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
  • France’s Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, who each already have four goals in the tournament, will be licking their lips.
    — David Hickey, NBC news, 30 June 2026
Definition of licking
Verb
  • America is better when Paul Skenes is embarrassing hitters with Livvy in the stands pounding Miller Lites.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • The heart-pounding encounter ended with the calf reunited with its mother, dramatic photos on a cellphone — and the couple continuing on to catch brook trout.
    — Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of pounding
Verb
  • Failing to disclose or intentionally hiding assets can make a prenup more vulnerable to being challenged in court.
    — Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 6 July 2026
  • The find suggests one of NASA’s most successful planet hunters may still have plenty of surprises hiding in its archives.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 6 July 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • Back at the dilapidated family home, Edgar grows even surlier, lashing into gentle-natured Joe for being an under-achiever compared to his brother and causing Thya to become apprehensive about Ed’s proximity to sharp objects.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
  • Unfortunately, this can lead to some individuals lashing out in response to their own insecurities, hate and low bar of aptitude, which is confirmed by the tenor of the attacks.
    — Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • There should be no pain or skin reddening during a proper session, and therapists avoid working over active swelling, infection or skin that’s undergone cancer treatment.
    — Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
  • However, Clayton-Thomas continued working over the decades, both solo and as a member of later incarnations of the band.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 June 2026
Definition of working over
Verb
  • Onstage, Shakira unleashed her inner rock star during the song, working the stage and the mic stand in a purple corset and matching fringe pants and whipping her lengthy curls like a weapon.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Olise kept his intentions hidden to the last, shaping up to cross the ball to the back post before sharply turning his hips and whipping his pass into the goalscorer’s path, breaking two defensive lines along the way.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • The young man was doing LeBron James’ silencer celebration after scoring a goal one moment and being tagged with soccer’s equivalent of a Flagrant 2 the next — because of how one moment was assessed on tape delay.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • The city’s police department will be doing safety checks in the area as well.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026
Definition of doing
Verb
  • Switzerland topped Group B ahead of co-host Canada after beating Les Rouges 2-1 in its final group game, which came after an emphatic 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and a 1-1 draw against Qatar in its opener.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • The host won the opening match by an innings and 217 runs and needs only a draw to claim its first series win in the World Test Championship since beating Bangladesh in the Caribbean in 2022.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Definition of beating

Browse Nearby Words

punching bags
punching out
punch out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Punching out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punching%20out. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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