sucker punching

verb

present participle of sucker punch
as in knocking down

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucker punching
  1. knocking down
  2. pushing
  3. dumping
  4. stabbing
  5. kicking
  6. slashing
  7. flailing
  8. switching
Verb
  • Counter space is the currency of a working kitchen, and homeowners are finding a new way to buy more of it without knocking down a wall.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune Demolition crews hired by the Chicago Bears begin knocking down the grandstand at the former Arlington International Racecourse on June 16, 2023, in Arlington Heights.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of knocking down
Verb
  • On Frequency of Love, Monét stretches out, pushing the boundaries of the sophisticated, retro sound of her previous album and finding some surprising new angles to her songwriting.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Kremlin has banned diesel exports due to the Ukrainian strikes, pushing global prices higher.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pushing
Verb
  • Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the weather service said thunderstorms were already dumping heavy rain across the region, with more rain on the horizon.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • An out-of-town attorney was abducted outside a Midtown Manhattan strip club and savagely beaten by four thieves who stole his Rolex watch and iPhone before dumping him in a New Jersey nature reserve, federal officials said Tuesday.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of dumping
Verb
  • Dangelo Rafael Jean Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia Bautista, 24, both Dominican citizens, are accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Even the worst days doing this are exponentially better than the potential of waking up to my elderly roommate stabbing me in the pancreas.
    — Tim Savage, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • The open-source smart home platform Home Assistant is kicking the cloud to the curb — in name at least.
    — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Anaheim Ducks are kicking their season off with a major test.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of kicking
Verb
  • But Milei is trying to recast Argentina as a destination for foreign wealth, slashing public spending, dismantling regulations and courting investment in the country's vast oil and mineral resources.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • States have already started slashing caregivers’ pay and other critical disability services in anticipation of Medicaid cuts that will roll out next year.
    — STAT, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • The second-best moment came in Ireland to start this season, when UNC held on to beat what now looks like a flailing TCU team in a rematch.
    — David Ubben, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • So, why now, halfway through the first take of the shoot, was Axl flailing his arm like a windmill with his jacket hurling around through space like a lasso?
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of flailing
Verb
  • Angi data shows 60 percent of consumers are now putting off projects and switching to maintenance.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Now, the 30-year-old, who is in his first season with the Penguins, has decided to honor his father, Alexander, by switching his jersey number.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of switching
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

sucker punches
sucker punching
suckers
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Cite this Entry

“Sucker punching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucker%20punching. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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