punch-out
or punch·out
[ puhnch-out ]
/ ˈpʌntʃˌaʊt /
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noun
a small section of cardboard or metal surrounded by perforations so that it can be easily forced out.
Slang. a fistfight or brawl.
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.
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Origin of punch-out
First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase punch out
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use punch-out in a sentence
Other Idioms and Phrases with punch-out
punch out
Record one's time of departure from work, as in We never punch out at exactly five o'clock. This usage, dating from the 1920s, alludes to the use of a time clock. Also see punch in, def. 1.
Eject from a military aircraft, as in The pilot punched out just before the plane blew up. [Slang; 1960s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.