How to Use to the punch in a Sentence

to the punch

phrase

• That Tottenham was able to beat so many rivals to the punch was impressive.
  — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
• Another Gulf Coast gateway could beat it to the punch depending on the speed of development.
  — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026
• The connection to ego may help explain why rejections are so painful, even for people who had already been contemplating ending their relationship—but then their partner beat them to the punch.
  — George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026
• The Spencer actress revealed during an appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show that Meyer beat her to the punch with the proposal.
  — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
• McDonald's was actually beaten to the punch by Jack in the Box, which debuted breakfast in 1969 with the Breakfast Jack, a sandwich with egg, cheese and ham.
  — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
• This weekend, New York art dealer Evan Beard posted about it on Instagram, which is how ARTnews learned of it; the eagle-eyed reporter Judith Dobrzysnki actually beat him to the punch, posting about it on April 5.
  — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026