punt

[puhnt]

See more synonyms for punt on Thesaurus.com

noun

Football. a kick in which the ball is dropped and then kicked before it touches the ground.Compare drop kick, place kick.
a small, shallow boat having a flat bottom and square ends, usually used for short outings on rivers or lakes and propelled by poling.
Glassmaking. kick(def 23b).

verb (used with object)

Football. to kick (a dropped ball) before it touches the ground.
to propel (a small boat) by thrusting against the bottom of a lake or stream, especially with a pole.
to convey in or as if in a punt.

verb (used without object)

to punt a football.
to propel a boat by thrusting a pole against the bottom of a river, stream, or lake.
to travel or have an outing in a punt.
Informal. to equivocate or delay: If they ask you for exact sales figures, you'll have to punt.

Origin of punt

before 1000; 1835–45 for def 1; Old English: flat-bottomed boat (not attested in Middle English) < Latin pontō punt, pontoon¹; sense “to kick a dropped ball” perhaps via sense “to propel (a boat) by shoving”

Related formspunt·er, noun

punt

[puhnt]

verb (used without object)

Cards. to lay a stake against the bank, as at faro.
Slang. to gamble, especially to bet on horse races or other sporting events.

noun

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

Origin of punt

1705–15; < French ponter, derivative of ponte punter, point in faro < Spanish punto point

Related formspunt·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for punted

punt, boot, swim, sail, paddle, knock, shove, eject, expel, bounce, evict, jolt, pull, scud, drag, oar, scull, cut, fire, dismiss

Examples from the Web for punted

Contemporary Examples of punted

And on Defense spending, he promised an additional $400 billion in cuts, but punted specifics to a military commission.
Long on Values, But Short on Specifics
John Avlon
April 13, 2011
Obama punted on the economy and reversed the fortunes of the Democrats in 365 days.
He's Done Everything Wrong
Mort Zuckerman
January 19, 2010
And Vidal, perhaps wisely, punted on a request to discuss his views on religion.
Vidal Kicks Up Dust Again
Lloyd Grove
October 21, 2009

Historical Examples of punted

This did not inspire me with confidence, so I only punted a ducat at a time.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
The next rush failed and Claflin punted to Carmine on the fifteen.
Left Guard Gilbert
Ralph Henry Barbour
Otis got through for five yards and then Rollins punted again.
Left Guard Gilbert
Ralph Henry Barbour
Keith fell back and punted out of bounds at the twenty-five.
Full-Back Foster
Ralph Henry Barbour
Young Railey punted well into Sangamon territory and now Sangamon had the ball.
Those Times And These
Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for punted

punt

noun

an open flat-bottomed boat with square ends, propelled by a poleSee quant 1

verb

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

Word Origin for punt

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

punt

noun

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

verb

to kick (a ball, etc) using a punt

Word Origin for punt

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

punt

verb

(intr) to gamble; bet

noun

a gamble or bet, esp against the bank, as in roulette, or on horses
Also called: punter a person who bets
take a punt at Australian and NZ informal to have an attempt or try at (something)

Word Origin for punt

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

punt

⁴

noun

(formerly) the Irish pound

Word Origin for punt

Irish Gaelic: pound

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for punted

punt

n.1

"kick," 1845; see punt (v.).

punt

n.2

"flat-bottomed river boat," late Old English punt, perhaps an ancient survival of British Latin ponto "flat-bottomed boat" (see OED), a kind of Gallic transport (Caesar), also "floating bridge" (Gellius), from Latin pontem (nominative pons) "bridge" (see pontoon). Or from or influenced by Old French cognate pont "large, flat boat."

punt

"to kick a ball dropped from the hands before it hits the ground," 1845, first in a Rugby list of football rules, perhaps from dialectal punt "to push, strike," alteration of Midlands dialect bunt "to push, butt with the head," of unknown origin, perhaps echoic. Student slang meaning "give up, drop a course so as not to fail," 1970s, is because a U.S. football team punts when it cannot advance the ball. Related: Punted; punting.