sucker-punch

[ suhk-er-puhnch ]

verb (used with object)

, Slang.

1. to strike (someone) with an unexpected blow.

sucker punch

noun

1. a sudden surprise punch, esp from behind
2. a sudden unexpected defeat or setback

Other Words From

• sucker punch noun

Idioms and Phrases

An unexpected blow, as in They felt that suddenly raising the interest rate was a sucker punch to the administration . This expression comes from boxing, where it is used for a punch delivered unexpectedly; boxing great Jack Dempsey wrote, “The right lead [for a right-handed boxer] is called a sucker punch.” [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

It wasn’t a baseball game, it was a sucker punch.

From Los Angeles Times

But, the Dodgers have been clearly, surprisingly staggered, after the reality check of a long afternoon, the unsettled recipients of one nasty sucker punch.

From Los Angeles Times

The whole debacle just underscores how, as Vance admitted to donors, the decision of President Joe Biden to quit the race so Harris could take over has felt like a "sucker punch" to the Trump campaign, one that they are still reeling from.

From Salon

“This poor guy. I feel so bad for him,” she said, referring to a recent report from the Washington Post that Vance privately admitted that Vice President Kamala Harris' presumptive Democratic nomination is a “political sucker punch” to the Trump campaign.

From Salon

“All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch,” Vance told GOP donors, according to the report.

From Salon