sucker-punch

[ suhk-er-puhnch ]

verb (used with object)

, Slang.

1. to strike (someone) with an unexpected blow.

sucker punch

noun

1. a sudden surprise punch, esp from behind
2. a sudden unexpected defeat or setback

Other Words From

• sucker punch noun

Idioms and Phrases

An unexpected blow, as in They felt that suddenly raising the interest rate was a sucker punch to the administration . This expression comes from boxing, where it is used for a punch delivered unexpectedly; boxing great Jack Dempsey wrote, “The right lead [for a right-handed boxer] is called a sucker punch.” [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

It wasn’t a baseball game, it was a sucker punch.

From Los Angeles Times

“All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch,” Vance told GOP donors, according to the report.

From Salon

“All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch,” Vance told donors at a fundraiser.

From Salon

Perhaps more than any other song on her new album, So Long, London is the real sucker punch.

From BBC

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown described the defeat as a "sucker punch" for Arsenal on TNT Sports.

From BBC