punch
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A hit or strike with one's fist.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
puhnchIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpʌntʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countable
A hit or strike with one's fist.
countable
A device, generally slender and round, used for creating holes in thin material, for driving an object through a hole in a containing object, or to stamp or emboss a mark or design on a surface.
countable
A mechanism for punching holes in paper or other thin material.
A beverage, generally containing a mixture of fruit juice and some other beverage, often alcoholic.
british
A glove puppet who is the main character used in a Punch and Judy show.
entomology
Any of various riodinid butterflies of the genus Dodona of Asia.
verb
transitive
To strike with one's fist.
transitive
To operate (a device or system) by depressing a button, key, bar, or pedal, or by similar means.
transitive
To enter (information) on a device or system.
transitive
To hit (a ball or similar object) with less than full force.
transitive
To make holes in something (rail ticket, leather belt, etc).
To employ a punch to create a hole in or stamp or emboss a mark on something.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A hit or strike with one's fist.
Used this way, punch is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use punch
- “He punched me in the stomach.”verb
- “The nail punched through the wall.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A large bowl for serving beverages.
A card on which data can be recorded in the form of punched holes.
Register one's arrival at work.
The point of a joke or humorous story.
Register one's departure from work.
Punch consisting of pliers for perforating paper or leather.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.