Punch vs. Paunch — What's the Difference?

A tool for circular or other piercing

The belly, especially a protruding one; a potbelly.

A tool for forcing a pin, bolt, or rivet in or out of a hole.

See rumen.

A tool for stamping a design on a surface.

The first compartment of the stomach of a ruminant, the rumen.

A tool for making a countersink.

The contents of this stomach in a slaughtered animal, viewed as food or a byproduct.

A blow with the fist.

The belly of a human, especially a large, fat protruding one.

Impressive or effective force; impact.

(nautical) A paunch mat.

A beverage of fruit juices and sometimes a soft drink or carbonated water, often spiced and mixed with a wine or liquor base.

The thickened rim of a bell, struck by the clapper.

The quarrelsome hook-nosed husband of Judy in the comic puppet show Punch and Judy.

To remove the internal organs of a ruminant, prior to eating.

To make (a hole or opening), as by using a punch or similar implement.

The belly and its contents; the abdomen; also, the first stomach, or rumen, of ruminants. See Rumen.

To make a hole in (something), as by using a punch

A paunch mat; - called also panch.

To pierce something; make a hole or opening

The thickened rim of a bell, struck by the clapper.

To hit with a sharp blow of the fist.

A noticeably protruding belly; a potbelly.

To drive (the fist) into or through something.

To pierce or rip the belly of; to eviscerate; to disembowel.

To drive (a ball, for example) with the fist.

To stuff with food.

To make (a hole) by thrusting the fist.

A protruding abdomen

(Archaic) To poke or prod with a stick.

Western US To herd (cattle).

To depress (the accelerator of a car) forcefully.

To depress (a key or button, for example) in order to activate a device or perform an operation

To enter (data) by keying

(Baseball) To hit (a ball) with a quick short swing.

(countable) A hit or strike with one's fist.

A blow from something other than the fist.

(uncountable) Power, strength, energy.

(uncountable) Impact.

(countable) A device, generally slender and round, used for creating holes in thin material, for driving an object through a hole in a containing object, or to stamp or emboss a mark or design on a surface.

(countable) A mechanism for punching holes in paper or other thin material.

(countable) A hole or opening created with a punch.

(piledriving) An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly.

A prop, as for the roof of a mine.

A beverage, generally containing a mixture of fruit juice and some other beverage, often alcoholic.

(entomology) Any of various riodinid butterflies of the genus Dodona of Asia.

(transitive) To strike with one's fist.

To herd.

(transitive) To operate (a device or system) by depressing a button, key, bar, or pedal, or by similar means.

(transitive) To enter (information) on a device or system.

(transitive) To hit (a ball or similar object) with less than full force.

(transitive) To make holes in something rail ticket, leather belt, etc

To thrust against; to poke.

Ellipsis of punch above one's weight, to date somebody more attractive than oneself.

(transitive) In winemaking, to perform pigeage: to stamp down grape skins that float to the surface during fermentation.

To employ a punch to create a hole in or stamp or emboss a mark on something.

To mark a ticket.

A beverage composed of wine or distilled liquor, water (or milk), sugar, and the juice of lemon, with spice or mint; - specifically named from the kind of spirit used; as rum punch, claret punch, champagne punch, etc.

The buffoon or harlequin of a puppet show.

A short, fat fellow; anything short and thick.

One of a breed of large, heavy draught horses; as, the Suffolk punch.

A thrust or blow.

A tool, usually of steel, variously shaped at one end for different uses, and either solid, for stamping or for perforating holes in metallic plates and other substances, or hollow and sharpedged, for cutting out blanks, as for buttons, steel pens, jewelry, and the like; a die.

An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly.

A prop, as for the roof of a mine.

To thrust against; to poke; as, to punch one with the end of a stick or the elbow.

To perforate or stamp with an instrument by pressure, or a blow; as, to punch a hole; to punch ticket.

(boxing) a blow with the fist;

An iced mixed drink usually containing alcohol and prepared for multiple servings; normally served in a punch bowl

A tool for making (usually circular) holes

Deliver a quick blow to;

Drive forcibly as if by a punch;

Make a hole into or between, as for ease of separation;