From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpunchpunch1 /pʌntʃ/ ●●● S3 verb [transitive] 1 hitHIT to hit someone or something hard with your fist (=closed hand) He punched me and knocked my teeth out.punch somebody on/in something He punched Jack in the face.► see thesaurus at hit2 make holesHOLE to make a hole in something, using a metal tool or other sharp object The guard punched my ticket and I got on. These bullets can punch a hole through 20 mm steel plate.3 push buttonsPRESS to push a button or key on a machine Just punch the button to select a track.4 → punch holes in somebody’s argument/idea/plans etc5 → punch the air6 → punch somebody’s lights out7 → punch the clock8 cattle American English old-fashionedTA to move cattle from one place to another9 → punch above your weight → punch in → punch out→ See Verb table
[countable]TZ a metal tool for cutting holes or for pushing something into a small hole5 → a one-two punch6 → not pull any/your punches7 → beat somebody/something to the punch8 → as pleased as punch → pack a (hard) punch at pack1(8)COLLOCATIONSverbsthrow a punch (=try to hit someone)Rob was so angry that he turned round and threw a punch at the man.land a punch (=manage to hit someone)Then I began to land some good punches.give somebody a punchHe gave me a punch on the nose.deliver a punch formal (=hit someone)Who actually delivered the punch that killed the man?take a punch (=be hit, or deal well with being hit)I took a lot of punches but I gave a lot too.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + punch a hard/powerful punchMy stomach took a couple of hard punches.a good punchTyson landed one good punch but it wasn’t enough.a knockout punch (=a blow that knocks someone down so that they cannot get up again)In the fourth round, Lewis produced a knockout punch that ended the fight.
Examples from the Corpus
punch• Norm Kleinebriel, owner, sits at the end of the long bar smoking a cigarette and punching a calculator.• All you have to do is punch a few buttons and the computer will do the rest for you.• The woman claimed that she had been punched and kicked by one of the policemen.• The conductor walked through the train, punching everyone's ticket.• She began screaming and he punched her in the face and ran off.• Dean punched her in the ribs and pushed her against the wall.• He is expected to punch his time card in April.• Meg was trying to snap Jackie in action as she helped her fighter Tony Weeks punch his way to victory.• I punched holes in the papers and filed them away in a binder.• Chamfer the top corners and nail on with 1-1/2in ovals, punched in and filled.• The shoemaker was threading stitches through tiny holes he had punched in the leather.• I sat down in my swivel chair and propped my feet up, punching the replay button on the answering machine.• Just for the sake of clarity, perhaps we should call employees who do more than punch their time card intrapreneurs.• He blundered forward, punching wildly.punchpunch2 ●●○ noun 1 [countable]HIT a quick strong hit made with your fist (=closed hand)punch in/on a punch in the kidneys I managed to land a punch on his chin. The two men started throwing punches (=trying to hit each other).2 [singular, uncountable]EFFECTIVE a strong effective way of expressing things that makes people interested Thirty years after it was written, Orton’s ‘Entertaining Mr Sloane’ still packs a punch.3 [countable, uncountable]DFD a drink made from fruit juice, sugar, water, and usually some alcohol a glass of hot punch4 [countable]TZ a metal tool for cutting holes or for pushing something into a small hole5 → a one-two punch6 → not pull any/your punches7 → beat somebody/something to the punch8 → as pleased as punch → pack a (hard) punch at pack1(8)COLLOCATIONSverbsthrow a punch (=try to hit someone)Rob was so angry that he turned round and threw a punch at the man.land a punch (=manage to hit someone)Then I began to land some good punches.give somebody a punchHe gave me a punch on the nose.deliver a punch formal (=hit someone)Who actually delivered the punch that killed the man?take a punch (=be hit, or deal well with being hit)I took a lot of punches but I gave a lot too.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + punch a hard/powerful punchMy stomach took a couple of hard punches.a good punchTyson landed one good punch but it wasn’t enough.a knockout punch (=a blow that knocks someone down so that they cannot get up again)In the fourth round, Lewis produced a knockout punch that ended the fight. Examples from the Corpus
punch• His oh-so-careful slimy grin that lashed out and maimed as much as a punch or a kick.• Mike gave me a punch on the arm.• The mid-term exam hit her like a blind punch.• Penalosa's lack of mobility is counter-balanced by his southpaw stance and hard punch.• Thomas' novel loses its punch toward the end.• The new Ford Mustang has a lot of punch.• The defender now turns attacker, stepping quickly forward and striking with a reverse punch to his attacker's chest.• a bowl of rum punch• A superb rum punch had all the characteristics of merciful execution.• I couldn't see more than three frames between standing still and throwing the punch.• And heart disease took a one-two punch.throwing punches• But this time, not to shadow-box, to merely practice circling and throwing punches inside the roped enclosure.• I began throwing punches whenever I thought no one was looking.• I began to imagine throwing punches at the Bashers.• I saw men in red shirts throwing punches at an old man.• The police say the two were drunk and abusive, and started throwing punches when asked for identification.• Then immediately back-pedal as quickly as you can whilst throwing punches.packs a punch• For the first time in a long time, an Eddie Murphy movie packs a punch.• At last - takeaway sandwiches with flavour that packs a punch! PunchPunch1 1 Mr Punch the main character in a Punch and Judy show2 → as pleased as PunchPunchPunch2 trademark a British weekly magazine which was started in 1841 and continued to be published until 2002. It is known especially for its humorous articles and cartoons.From Longman Business Dictionarypunchpunch (also hole punch) noun [countable]OFFICE a metal tool used for making holes in paper or steelPass me the punch.punchpunch1 /pʌntʃ/ verb [transitive] to make a hole in something, for example a card that shows what time you arrived at work or left workAny employee forgetting to punch his card must report it to his supervisor as soon as possible for payment authorization. → punch in → punch out→ See Verb tableOrigin punch1 (1300-1400) Old French poinçonner “to make a hole in”, from poinçon “tool for making holes” punch2 1. (1500-1600) → PUNCH12. (1600-1700) Perhaps from Hindi pãc “five”; because there are five things that go into it. 3. (1500-1600) Probably from puncheon; → POUNCE4. (1800-1900) Punch character in children's puppet shows, from Punchinello, probably from Italian dialect polecenella “little chicken” 