punt

¹ American  

[puhnt] / pʌnt /

noun

1. Football. a kick in which the ball is dropped and then kicked before it touches the ground.

2. a small, shallow boat having a flat bottom and square ends, usually used for short outings on rivers or lakes and propelled by poling.

3. Glassmaking. kick.

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verb (used with object)

1. Football. to kick (a dropped ball) before it touches the ground.

2. to propel (a small boat) by thrusting against the bottom of a lake or stream, especially with a pole.

3. to convey in or as if in a punt.

verb (used without object)

1. to punt a football.

2. to propel a boat by thrusting a pole against the bottom of a river, stream, or lake.

3. to travel or have an outing in a punt.

4. Informal. to equivocate or delay.

   If they ask you for exact sales figures, you'll have to punt.

punt ² American  

[puhnt] / pʌnt /

verb (used without object)

1. Cards. to lay a stake against the bank, as at faro.

2. Slang. to gamble, especially to bet on horse races or other sporting events.

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noun

1. Cards. a person who lays a stake against the bank.

punt ³ American  

[poont, puhnt] / pʊnt, pʌnt /

noun

1. a monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 pence; Irish pound.

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punt ⁴ American  

[puhnt] / pʌnt /

noun

1. kick.

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Punt ⁵ American  

[poont] / pʊnt /

noun

1. an ancient Egyptian name of an area not absolutely identified but believed to be Somaliland.

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punt ¹ British  

/ pʌnt /

verb

1. (intr) to gamble; bet

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noun

1. a gamble or bet, esp against the bank, as in roulette, or on horses

2. Also called: punter.  a person who bets

3. informal to have an attempt or try at (something)

punt ² British  

/ pʌnt /

noun

1. a kick in certain sports, such as rugby, in which the ball is released and kicked before it hits the ground

2. any long high kick

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verb

1. to kick (a ball, etc) using a punt

punt ³ British  

/ pʌnt /

noun

1. an open flat-bottomed boat with square ends, propelled by a pole See quant 1

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verb

1. to propel (a boat, esp a punt) by pushing with a pole on the bottom of a river, etc

punt ⁴ British  

/ pʊnt /

noun

1. (formerly) the Irish pound

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Other Word Forms

• punter noun

Etymology

Origin of punt¹

First recorded before 1000; 1835–45 punt ¹ for def. 1; Old English: “flat-bottomed boat” (not attested in Middle English ), from Latin pontō “pontoon, punt” ( pontoon ¹ ); the sense “to kick a dropped ball” comes perhaps via the semse “to propel (a boat) by shoving”

Origin of punt²

First recorded in 1705–15; from French ponter, derivative of ponte “punter; point in faro,” from Spanish punto; point

Origin of punt³

First recorded in 1970–75; from Irish, from English pound ²

Origin of punt⁴

First recorded in 1820–25; probably shortening of punty ( def. )

Explanation

A punt is a certain kind of kick, like when a rugby player drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground. Punts are used in various sports, but you're most likely to see a punt in a football or rugby game. The word punt can be used as both a noun and a verb: "She could punt that ball half way across the field like it was nothing." The root of punt is probably the word bunt, a dialectical variation from the Midlands in England that means "to butt or push with the head."

Example Sentences

He was named team MVP his senior year and finished his college career with nine interceptions and 40 pass deflections, as well as one punt return for a touchdown.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

On the Chesapeake Bay, market hunters favored punt guns—cannons weighing up to 200 pounds, with barrels made from boiler pipe—that could bring down 100 ducks with one shot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

That kind of convenient ethical punt has been a constant of Anthropic’s brief history.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026

Most lawyers expect the Supreme Court to punt on refunds—possibly to the Court of International Trade—if it strikes down IEEPA.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

One of the does stamped on the puddled floor of the punt.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams