punt

¹

[puhnt]

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.

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

[puhnt]

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.

noun

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

punt

³

[poont, puhnt]

noun

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

punt

⁴

[puhnt]

noun

1. kick.

Punt

⁵

[poont]

noun

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

punt

¹

/ pʌnt /

verb

1. (intr) to gamble; bet

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

/ 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

verb

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

punt

³

/ pʌnt /

noun

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

verb

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

punt

⁴

/ pʊnt /

noun

1. (formerly) the Irish pound

Other Word Forms

• punter noun

Word History and Origins

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. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of punt¹

C18: from French ponter to punt, from ponte bet laid against the banker, from Spanish punto point, from Latin punctum

Origin of punt²

C19: perhaps a variant of English dialect bunt to push, perhaps a nasalized variant of _butt ³

Origin of punt³

Old English punt shallow boat, from Latin pontō punt, _pontoon ¹

Origin of punt⁴

Irish Gaelic: pound

Example Sentences

His biggest moment as a professional arrived in a prime time, Monday night game earlier this week against the Arizona Cardinals, when he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a score.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He scored his first touchdown in Tuesday's defeat to the Arizona Cardinals when he recovered a blocked punt.

Read more on BBC

A cross, Unai would frequently insist, was a pass and not a hopeful punt.

Read more on BBC

"If I was taking a punt, as it were, I would say that within three years he'll be a kicker in the NFL," said Winter.

Read more on BBC

But he adds that any agreement will likely be a punt on the critical issues at the heart of the friction.

Read more on Barron's