Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

punch down

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.31 in modern English

Syllables: punch -down
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To attack or target a group that is weaker or of lower status than oneself.

Intransitive verb; Slang

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see punch, down.

Example Sentences

"The anti-vaxx movement punches down and punches hard. Its leaders tend to be men and women from wealthy backgrounds. […] They draw a large part of their audience from the poor, the poorly educated and ethnic minorities."

Usage

Inflected Forms

punches down (present, singular) punching down (participle, present) punched down (participle, past) punched down (past)

Derived Forms

punchdown

Antonyms

punch up

Questions

What does punch down mean?: To attack or target a group that is weaker or of lower status than oneself.

How to pronounce punch down

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “punch down”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “punch down”.
Repeat and practice — Say “punch down” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.