Dictionary

pack a punch en · VERB

Meanings

1. (informal) To be capable of throwing a strong punch.
   • Memphis Bill was known to pack a punch. 1930 June, Victor R. Daly, “Private Walker Goes Patrolling”, in The Crisis, volume 37, number 6, page 199:
   • Lord, that boy sure can pack a punch.
   • If gorillas do fight, injuries can be very serious as these animals have long canine teeth and silverbacks pack a punch estimated at eight times stronger than a heavyweight boxer. 2009, Mary Fitzpatrick, Lonely Planet East Africa, Lonely Planet, page 77:
2. (informal) To be capable of having a swift and powerful effect.
   • Second, prepare the choices as one-liners. Each one should pack a punch and be so polished that it will jump off the screen into the minds of the audience and create a funny picture. 2003, Ronald A. Berk, Professors are from Mars, students are from Snickers: how to write and deliver humor in the classroom and in professional presentations, Stylus Publishing, LLC., page 30:
   • It was a poignant scene that packed quite a punch with both champions — and plenty of observers — in tears as Federer called it a career. 2023 May 18, Christopher Clarey, “Even as He’s Out, Rafael Nadal Will Always Be a Part of the French Open”, in The New York Times:
   • They go in for statements, slogans, cartoons, pictures, and posters that "pack a punch." 1942, Robert Allen Griffin, School of the citizen soldier: adapted from the educational program of the Second Army, Lieutenant General Ben Lear, commanding, D. Appleton-Century Company, Incorporated, page 500:
   • Lord, that moonshine sure does pack a punch.

Forms

Relateds

pack heat

Synonyms

pack a wallop · pack a wallop