punch in
Idioms-
Also, . Check in at a job upon arrival, as in You have to punch in or you won't get paid , or In this office no one has to punch a clock . This usage alludes to the use of a time clock, which has a button an employee punches or strikes to record the time of arrival on a card. [1920s] Also see punch out , def. 1.
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Keyboard data into a computer, as in He was careful about punching in all the payments . [Mid-1900s]
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.
“I had prepared for a denial,” Hassan said, “but seeing those words in writing felt like a punch in the heart.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Their first fight in Sheffield had Warrington comfortably in control until a decisive Wood punch in the seventh round ended the contest.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
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
If the idea was to de-ice Melania for viewers and, in turn, make them forget about the allegations against Ratner, this one-two punch in the film’s first 10 minutes only portends glorious failure.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2026
“Hopefully they’ll go dormant for a while. We should only need a minute or so to punch in the code.”
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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.
