punch-out

or punch·out

[ puhnch-out ]

noun

1. a small section of cardboard or metal surrounded by perforations so that it can be easily forced out.
2. Slang. a fistfight or brawl.
3. Baseball. the air-punching gesture an umpire makes to denote a third strike, effectively ending the batter’s at-bat:

   Stein didn’t develop his signature punch-out until his third season umpiring in the minors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of punch-out¹

First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase punch out

Example Sentences

And the box, also unchanged since the beginning, features a punch-out spout that can cause a bit of a mess.

From Los Angeles Times

Well, this time Stallone elected to step back from prime punch-out duties and leave the heavy hitting to Statham, his character’s longtime second-in-command.

From Seattle Times

“Adbert comes in to get the ground ball and then the big punch-out of Tatis and then Leiter goes through the heart of their order.”

From Washington Times

As she typically does with her producers, Clark sent Carlile a batch of 18-24 songs, with Carlile homing in on songs that, as she explained to Clark, sounded like they were written in her bedroom, as opposed to a punch-in, punch-out writing room.

From Seattle Times

But Bieber buckled down and got two outs before striking out Christian Bethancourt, the right-hander’s third punch-out to end an inning.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bloodshed
• combat
• conflict
• dispute
• exchange
• hostility
• melee
• riot
• scuffle
• strife
• struggle
• war
• warfare