Jump To:

• sucker-punch
  sucker-punch

  verb (used with object)

  to strike (someone) with an unexpected blow.
• sucker punch
  sucker punch

  noun

  a sudden surprise punch, esp from behind

sucker-punch

American  

[suhk-er-puhnch] / ˈsʌk ərˌpʌntʃ /

verb (used with object)

Slang.

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

---

sucker punch British  

noun

1. a sudden surprise punch, esp from behind

2. a sudden unexpected defeat or setback

---

sucker punch Idioms  

1. 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]

---

Other Word Forms

• sucker punch
  noun

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sucker-punch sucker punch

But those scenes proved premature when, in the fifth minute of eight added for stoppage time, Brighton's Georginio Rutter delivered a devastating sucker-punch.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

A movie that often feels dangerously out of control even as it knows exactly what it’s doing, “Bottoms” is an outrageous queer teen comedy that could hit summer audiences like a sucker-punch surprise.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2023

The sucker-punch ending is a head-scratcher and nearly ruins the previous 75 minutes of suspense, so much so that the European ending of the film was changed to make for a more commercial conclusion.

From Washington Times ● May 4, 2023

Bryan Mbeumo was guilty of wasting the best of Brentford’s chances and the hosts were hit with a sucker-punch late on as Brighton claimed a third win in four matches to open the league.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2021

It is certainly not a bad song, but the sucker-punch power of earlier singles such as Love Story is noticeably absent.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 26, 2019

Far too open at the back throughout the game, City were caught by a sucker punch in the 22nd minute.

From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026

“Train Dreams,” a film on Netflix starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, is breathtaking in the most literal way, delivering emotion like a sucker punch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

The narrative is less sucker punch than brilliant feints and jabs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2025

“It’s just a sucker punch in your gut,” said Dr. Syra Madad, an infectious disease epidemiologist at NYC Health and Hospitals.

From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2025

I responded, a little nervous, just because whenever someone asks if they can ask you something, there’s always a sucker punch in the nuts right behind it.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds