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• punt
  punt

  noun

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

  noun

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

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” ( see 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; see origin at 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

See Examples For:

punt Punt

After three plays that managed just a single yard, the Eagles were forced to punt, and it was a sign of a troubling trend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Ventrone was asked if there was any thought about replacing Smith as the punt returner.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Last week, the play that kept Rutgers in the game near the end of the first half also came from a punt formation, but with the roles reversed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

The Trojan offense stalled and was set to punt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

The Cowboys took over at the Permian 49 but couldn’t move the ball and had to punt.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

"Egyptologists have long puzzled over Punt, since some scholars have seen it as a location in early global maritime trade networks, and thus the starting point for economic globalization," says Gisela Kopp.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2023

His remaining possessions: Punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, interception.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 8, 2023

Punt returner Brandon Powell coughed up the ball in the first quarter and the Eagles recovered.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

Punt returning wide receiver Trent Taylor was on injured reserve with the 49ers when they played in the Super Bowl.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2023

“Colonel, I think I better warn ya,” Ed Mills said from his position on the first stool, “Jimbo Punt used to eat an egg a day on that same stool where you're sittin’.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy