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Definition of punch noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

punch

noun
 
 
/pʌntʃ/
 
/pʌntʃ/
Idioms
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  1.  
    [countable] a hard hit made with the fist (= closed hand)
    • a punch in the face
    • Hill threw a punch at the police officer.
    • a knockout punch
    • He shot out his right arm and landed a punch on Lorrimer's nose.
    see also rabbit punch, sucker punch, Sunday punch
    Extra Examples
    • Be careful what you say or you'll get a punch on the nose.
    • He can throw a powerful punch.
    • a boxer who knows how to take a punch
    • (figurative) This policy will deliver a knockout punch to the tourism industry.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • good
    • hard
    • powerful
    • …
    verb + punch
    • deliver
    • give somebody
    • land
    • …
    preposition
    • punch in
    • punch on
    • punch to
    • …
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] the power to interest people
    • It's a well-constructed crime story, told with speed and punch.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • good
    • hard
    • powerful
    • …
    verb + punch
    • deliver
    • give somebody
    • land
    • …
    preposition
    • punch in
    • punch on
    • punch to
    • …
    See full entry
  3. [countable] a tool or machine for cutting holes in paper, leather or metal
    • a hole punch
  4. [uncountable] a hot or cold drink made by mixing water, fruit juice, spices and usually wine or another alcoholic drink see also milk punch, planter’s punchTopics Drinksc2
    5. see also Suffolk Punch
    Word Originnoun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘puncture, prod’): variant of pounce. noun sense 3 early 16th cent.: perhaps an abbreviation of puncheon, or from the verb punch ‘hit somebody/​something hard’. noun sense 4 mid 17th cent.: apparently from Sanskrit pañca ‘five, five kinds of’ (because the drink had five ingredients).
Idioms
beat somebody to the punch
  1. (informal) to get or do something before somebody else can
pack a (powerful, real, etc.) punch (informal)
  1. (of a boxer) to be capable of hitting somebody very hard
  2. to have a powerful effect on somebody
    • The advertising campaign packs quite a punch.
pull your punches
  1. (informal) (usually used in negative sentences) to express something less strongly than you are able to, for example to avoid upsetting or shocking somebody
    • Her articles certainly don't pull any punches.
roll with the punches
  1. to adapt yourself to a difficult situation
See punch in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: punch

Nearby words

perspective
noun
 
 
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