sucker-punch
[ suhk-er-puhnch ]
/ ˈsʌk ərˌpʌntʃ /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object) Slang.
to strike (someone) with an unexpected blow.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
OTHER WORDS FROM sucker-punch
sucker punch, nounWords nearby sucker-punch
suck, sucker, sucker bait, suckerfish, sucker list, sucker-punch, sucket fork, suckfish, suckhole, suck in, sucking
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for sucker-punch
British Dictionary definitions for sucker-punch
sucker punch
noun
a sudden surprise punch, esp from behind
a sudden unexpected defeat or setback
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
Idioms and Phrases with sucker-punch
sucker punch
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.