punch-drunk
Americanadjective
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(especially of a boxer) having cerebral concussion caused by repeated blows to the head and consequently exhibiting unsteadiness of gait, hand tremors, slow muscular movement, hesitant speech, and dulled mentality.
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Informal. befuddled; dazed.
adjective
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demonstrating or characteristic of the behaviour of a person who has suffered repeated blows to the head, esp a professional boxer
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dazed; stupefied
Etymology
Origin of punch-drunk
An Americanism dating back to 1915–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As for Buster Douglas he was punch drunk and ran off the board.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2019
The rapid cycling of the past month has made denizens of the nation’s capital both punch drunk and quippy.
From Washington Post • Jan. 31, 2018
Indeed "punch drunk syndrome" - brain damage linked to repeated head trauma and concussion - is now called chronic traumatic encephalopathy instead, in recognition of the fact that it's not a disease confined to boxers.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2016
“His biographer, Alan Walker, describes this sonata as a ‘massive blizzard of notes often played by punch drunk virtuosos,’” he said.
From Washington Times • Mar. 4, 2015
She had me on the ropes; I felt punch drunk, I couldn't deliver and I couldn't be angry either.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
