Adjacent Words

Punch definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PUNCH, n. [L. punctum, pungo.] An instrument of iron or steel, used in several arts for perforating holes in plates of metal, and so contrived as to cut out a piece.
PUNCH, n. A drink composed of water sweetened with sugar, with a mixture of lemon juice and spirit.
PUNCH, n. The buffoon or harlequin of a puppet show. [See Punchinello.]
PUNCH, n. A well set horse with a short back, thin shoulders, broad neck, and well covered with flesh.
1. A short fat fellow.
PUNCH, v.t. [L. pungo.]
1. To perforate with an iron instrument, either pointed or not; as, to punch a hole in a plate of metal.
2. In popular usage,to thrust against with something obtuse; as, to punch one with the elbow.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (boxing) a blow with the fist; "I gave him a clout on his nose" [syn: punch, clout, poke, lick, biff, slug]
2: an iced mixed drink usually containing alcohol and prepared for multiple servings; normally served in a punch bowl
3: a tool for making holes or indentations [syn: punch, puncher] v
1: deliver a quick blow to; "he punched me in the stomach" [syn: punch, plug]
2: drive forcibly as if by a punch; "the nail punched through the wall"
3: make a hole into or between, as for ease of separation; "perforate the sheets of paper" [syn: punch, perforate]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English pounce, punche, probably alteration of ponson, ponchon puncheon Date: 14th century 1. a. a tool usually in the form of a short rod of steel that is variously shaped at one end for different operations (as forming, perforating, embossing, or cutting) b. a short tapering steel rod for driving the heads of nails below a surface c. a steel die faced with a letter in relief that is forced into a softer metal to form an intaglio matrix from which foundry type is cast d. a device or machine for cutting holes or notches (as in paper or cardboard) 2. a hole or notch from a perforating operation II. verb Etymology: Middle English pouncen, punchen to emboss, pierce, probably from pounce, noun Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. prod, poke b. drive, herd <punching cattle> 2. a. to strike with a forward thrust especially of the fist b. to drive or push forcibly by or as if by a punch c. to hit (a ball) with less than a full swing 3. to emboss, cut, perforate, or make with or as if with a punch 4. a. to push down so as to produce a desired result <punch buttons on a jukebox> b. to hit or press down the operating mechanism of <punch a typewriter> c. to insert a time card into (a time clock) d. to produce by or as if by punching keys <punch out a tune on the piano> e. to enter (as data) by punching keys 5. to give emphasis to intransitive verb 1. to perform the action of punching something 2. to move or push forward especially by a sudden forceful effort <punched into enemy territory> • puncher noun III. noun Date: 14th century 1. the action of punching 2. a quick blow with or as if with the fist 3. effective energy or forcefulness <a story that packs a punch> <political punch> • punchless adjective IV. noun Etymology: perhaps from Hindi & Urdu p?c five, from Sanskrit pañca; akin to Greek pente five; from its originally having five ingredients — more at five Date: 1632 a hot or cold drink that is usually a combination of hard liquor, wine, or beer and nonalcoholic beverages; also a drink that is a mixture of nonalcoholic beverages

Britannica Concise

Hooknosed, humpbacked character in marionette and puppet shows. Adapted from a stock character of the commedia dell'arte, the puppet character was brought to France and England by Italian puppeteers in the 1660s. By 1700 every English puppet show featured Punch (from Punchinello) and his wife, Judy. As marionettes became less popular in the 1790s, smaller glove puppets were used in the popular Punch-and-Judy play. The outrageous behavior of the deceitful Punch, established by the 19th cent., continues to delight puppet-show audiences today. English illustrated periodical published 1841-1992 and revived in 1996 with a revised format. Initially a weekly radical paper, it became famous for its satiric humor, caricatures, and cartoons. Among its famous early staff members were W. M. Thackeray and J. Tenniel. A cover drawing by Richard Doyle was used continuously from 1849 to 1956, when each issue's cover was made different, though the traditional figures of Punch and his dog Toby usually appeared somewhere. Hooknosed, humpbacked character in marionette and puppet shows. Adapted from a stock character of the commedia dell'arte, the puppet character was brought to France and England by Italian puppeteers in the 1660s. By 1700 every English puppet show featured Punch (from Punchinello) and his wife, Judy. As marionettes became less popular in the 1790s, smaller glove puppets were used in the popular Punch-and-Judy play. The outrageous behavior of the deceitful Punch, established by the 19th cent., continues to delight puppet-show audiences today. English illustrated periodical published 1841-1992 and revived in 1996 with a revised format. Initially a weekly radical paper, it became famous for its satiric humor, caricatures, and cartoons. Among its famous early staff members were W. M. Thackeray and J. Tenniel. A cover drawing by Richard Doyle was used continuously from 1849 to 1956, when each issue's cover was made different, though the traditional figures of Punch and his dog Toby usually appeared somewhere.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. & tr. 1 strike bluntly, esp. with a closed fist. 2 prod or poke with a blunt object. 3 a pierce a hole in (metal, paper, a ticket, etc.) as or with a punch. b pierce (a hole) by punching. 4 US drive (cattle) by prodding with a stick etc. --n. 1 a blow with a fist. 2 the ability to deliver this. 3 colloq. vigour, momentum; effective force. Phrases and idioms: punch (or punched) card (or tape) a card or paper tape perforated according to a code, for conveying instructions or data to a data processor etc. punch-drunk stupefied from or as though from a series of heavy blows. punching-bag US a suspended stuffed bag used as a punchball. punch-line words giving the point of a joke or story. punch-up Brit. colloq. a fist-fight; a brawl. Derivatives: puncher n. Etymology: ME, var. of POUNCE(1) 2. n. 1 any of various devices or machines for punching holes in materials (e.g. paper, leather, metal, plaster). 2 a tool or machine for impressing a design or stamping a die on a material. Etymology: perh. an abbr. of PUNCHEON(1), or f. PUNCH(1) 3. n. a drink of wine or spirits mixed with water, fruit juices, spices, etc., and usu. served hot. Phrases and idioms: punch-bowl 1 a bowl in which punch is mixed. 2 a deep round hollow in a hill. Etymology: 17th c.: orig. unkn. 4. n. 1 (Punch) a grotesque humpbacked figure in a puppet-show called Punch and Judy. 2 (in full Suffolk punch) a short-legged thickset draught horse. Phrases and idioms: as pleased as Punch showing great pleasure. Etymology: abbr. of PUNCHINELLO

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Center Center, or Centre Centre, punch punch . (Mech.) (a) A punch for making indentations or dots in a piece of work, as for suspension between lathe centers, etc. (b) A punch for punching holes in sheet metal, having a small conical center to insure correct locating.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Punch Punch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punched; p. pr. & vb. n. Punching.] [From Punch, n., a tool; cf. F. poin[,c]onner.] To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket. Punching machine, or Punching press, a machine tool for punching holes in metal or other material; -- called also punch press.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Punch Punch, n. [Abbrev, fr. punchinello.] The buffoon or harlequin of a puppet show. Punch and Judy, a puppet show in which a comical little hunchbacked Punch, with a large nose, engages in altercation with his wife Judy.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Punch Punch, n. [Prov. E. Cf. Punchy.] 1. A short, fat fellow; anything short and thick. I . . . did hear them call their fat child punch, which pleased me mightily, that word being become a word of common use for all that is thick and short. --Pepys. 2. One of a breed of large, heavy draught horses; as, the Suffolk punch.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Punch Punch, v. t. [OE. punchen, perhaps the same word as E. punish: or cf. E. bunch.] To thrust against; to poke; as, to punch one with the end of a stick or the elbow.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Punch Punch, n. [Abbrev. fr. puncheon.] 1. A tool, usually of steel, variously shaped at one end for different uses, and either solid, for stamping or for perforating holes in metallic plates and other substances, or hollow and sharpedged, for cutting out blanks, as for buttons, steel pens, jewelry, and the like; a die. 2. (Pile Driving) An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly. 3. A prop, as for the roof of a mine. Bell punch. See under Bell. Belt punch (Mach.), a punch, or punch pliers, for making holes for lacings in the ends of driving belts. Punch press. See Punching machine, under Punch, v. i. Punch pliers, pliers having a tubular, sharp-edged steel punch attached to one of the jaws, for perforating leather, paper, and the like.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Punch Punch, n. A thrust or blow. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Punch Punch, n. [Hind. p[=a]nch five, Skr. pa?can. So called because composed of five ingredients, viz., sugar, arrack, spice, water, and lemon juice. See Five.] A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; -- specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch, claret punch, champagne punch, etc.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(punches, punching, punched) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you punch someone or something, you hit them hard with your fist. After punching him on the chin she wound up hitting him over the head... VERB: V n • In American English, punch out means the same as punch. 'I almost lost my job today.'—'What happened?'—'Oh, I punched out this guy.'... In the past, many kids would settle disputes by punching each other out. PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P • Punch is also a noun. He was hurting Johansson with body punches in the fourth round. N-COUNT • puncher (punchers) ...the awesome range of blows which have confirmed him as boxing's hardest puncher. N-COUNT: usu supp N 2. If you punch the air, you put one or both of your fists forcefully above your shoulders as a gesture of delight or victory. At the end, Graf punched the air in delight, a huge grin on her face. VERB: V n 3. If you punch something such as the buttons on a keyboard, you touch them in order to store information on a machine such as a computer or to give the machine a command to do something. Mrs. Baylor strode to the elevator and punched the button. = push, press VERB: V n 4. If you punch holes in something, you make holes in it by pushing or pressing it with something sharp. I took a ballpoint pen and punched a hole in the carton. VERB: V n in n 5. A punch is a tool that you use for making holes in something. Make two holes with a hole punch. N-COUNT 6. If you say that something has punch, you mean that it has force or effectiveness. My nervousness made me deliver the vital points of my address without sufficient punch... 7. Punch is a drink made from wine or spirits mixed with things such as sugar, lemons, and spices. N-MASS 8. If you say that someone does not pull their punches when they are criticizing a person or thing, you mean that they say exactly what they think, even though this might upset or offend people. She has a reputation for getting at the guts of a subject and never pulling her punches. PHRASE: V and N inflect, oft with brd-neg

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Perforate, bore, pierce, puncture. 2. Push, poke, strike. II. n. 1. Borer, puncheon. 2. Push, poke, blow, thrust. 3. Horse (short and thick). 4. Buffoon (of a puppet-show), clown, harlequin, punchinello, merry-andrew, mountebank, jester, droll, zany, scaramouch, fool, antic, pickle-herring, jack-pudding, mime.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A liquor called by foreigners Contradiction, from its being composed of spirits to make it strong, water to make it weak, lemon juice to make it sour, and sugar to make it sweet. Punch is also the name of the prince of puppets, the chief wit and support of a puppet-show. To punch it, is a cant term for running away. Punchable; old passable money, anno 1695. A girl that is ripe for man is called a punchable wench. Cobler's Punch. Urine with a cinder in it.

Foolish Dictionary

A weekly obituary notice from London, chronicling the death of Humor.

Moby Thesaurus

Mickey, Mickey Finn, aggressiveness, amperage, aperitif, armipotence, assault, auger, authority, awl, bang, bash, bat, bear, bear upon, bearing, beating, beef, belt, biff, bite, bitingness, black power, blaze, blaze a trail, blemish, blotch, blow, bodkin, bonk, boost, bop, bore, box, brace and bit, brand, briskness, broach, brute force, buck, buffet, bull, bulldoze, bump, bump against, bunt, burin, butt, butt against, cast, chalk, chalk up, charge, charisma, chaser, check, check off, chop, cicatrize, clap, clip, clobber, clout, clump, cocktail, cogence, cogency, coldcock, compulsion, countersink, crack, cram, crowd, cuff, cut, cuttingness, dapple, dash, deal, deal a blow, deck, define, delimit, demarcate, dent, depress, die, dig, dimple, dint, discolor, doch-an-dorrach, dot, drill, drink, drive, drub, drubbing, drumming, duress, effect, effectiveness, effectuality, elbow, empierce, energy, engrave, engraving tool, enterprise, etching ball, etching ground, etching needle, etching point, eye-opener, fetch, fetch a blow, fire, fix, fleck, flower power, force, force majeure, forcefulness, form, freckle, full blast, full force, fusillade, gash, get-up-and-go, getup, ginger, go, goad, gore, gouge, gouge out, graver, gusto, guts, hatch, haymaker, head, highball, hit, hit a clip, hole, honeycomb, hotness, hurtle, hustle, impact, impale, impress, impressiveness, imprint, incisiveness, indent, influence, initiative, intaglio, it, jab, jam, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, kick, knock, knock cold, knock down, knock out, knockout drops, lambaste, lance, last, left, let have it, lick, life, line, liveliness, main force, main strength, make a mark, mana, mark, mark off, mark out, matrix, might, might and main, mightiness, mint, mixed drink, mold, mordancy, mottle, moxie, muscle power, needle, negative, nervosity, nervousness, nick, nightcap, nip, nippiness, notch, nudge, oomph, parting cup, paste, pelt, pencil, penetrate, pep, pepper, pepperiness, perforate, pierce, pile drive, pink, piss and vinegar, pit, pizzazz, plug, plunk, pock, pockmark, poignancy, point, poke, poop, potence, potency, potentiality, pound, pousse-cafe, power, power pack, power structure, power struggle, powerfulness, prepotency, press, press in, pressure, prick, print, prod, productiveness, productivity, puissance, pull, pummel, punch in, punctuate, puncture, push, raciness, ram, ram down, rap, rattle, ream, ream out, recess, relish, riddle, right, rocker, run, run against, run through, scar, scarify, score, scorper, scotch, scratch, seal, seam, set back, set in, shake, shoe last, shoulder, shove, sinew, sinewiness, skewer, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smash, smite, snap, snappiness, soak, sock, spat, spear, speck, speckle, spice, spiciness, spike, spit, splotch, spot, spunk, stab, stain, stamp, starch, steam, stick, stigmatize, stirrup cup, streak, strength, stress, striate, strike, strike at, stripe, stroke, strong arm, strong language, style, sundowner, superiority, superpower, swack, swat, swing, swipe, tamp, tang, tanginess, tap, tattoo, template, thrust, thump, thwack, tick, tick off, trace, transfix, transpierce, trenchancy, trepan, trephine, underline, underscore, validity, vehemence, verve, vigor, vigorousness, vim, virility, virtue, virulence, vitality, wallop, wattage, wee doch-an-dorrach, weight, whack, wham, what it takes, whop, yerk, zest, zestfulness, zing, zip