forcefulness, effectiveness, or pungency in content or appeal; power; zest: a letter to voters that needs more punch.
–verb (used with object)
3.
to give a sharp thrust or blow to, esp. with the fist.
4.
Western U.S.and Western Canada. to drive (cattle).
5.
to poke or prod, as with a stick.
6.
Informal. to deliver (lines in a play, a musical passage, or the like) with vigor.
7.
to strike or hit in operating: to punch the typewriter keys.
8.
to put into operation with or as if with a blow: to punch a time clock.
9.
Baseball. to hit (the ball) with a short, chopping motion rather than with a full swing: He punched a soft liner just over third base for a base hit.
–verb (used without object)
10.
to give a sharp blow to a person or thing, as with the fist: The boxer punches well.
—Verb phrases
11.
punch away, Informal. to keep trying or working, esp. in difficult or discouraging circumstances; persevere: punching away at the same old job.
12.
punch in,
a.
to record one's time of arrival at work by punching a time clock.
b.
to keyboard (information) into a computer: to punch in the inventory figures.
13.
punch out,
a.
to record one's time of departure from work by punching a time clock.
b.
Slang. to beat up or knock out with the fists.
c.
to extract (information) from a computer by the use of a keyboard: to punch out data on last week's sales.
d.
to bail out; eject from an aircraft.
14.
punch up,
a.
to call up (information) on a computer by the use of a keyboard: to punch up a list of hotel reservations.
b.
Informal. to enliven, as with fresh ideas or additional material: You'd better punch up that speech with a few jokes.
—Idioms
15.
pull punches,
a.
to lessen deliberately the force of one's blows.
b.
Informal. to act with restraint or hold back the full force or implications of something: He wasn't going to pull any punches when he warned them of what they would be up against.
16.
roll with the punches, Informal. to cope with and survive adversity: In the business world you quickly learn to roll with the punches.
Origin: 1350–1400; ME punchen (v.); appar. var. of pounce1
To depress (a key or button, for example) in order to activate a device or perform an operation: punched the "repeat" key; punched in the number on the computer.
Baseball To hit (a ball) with a quick short swing.
Phrasal Verb(s): punch inTo check in formally at a job upon arrival. punch out
To check out formally at a job upon departure.
To knock unconscious with a punch.
Slang To eject from a military aircraft.
Idiom(s):
beat to the punchTo make the first decisive move: a marketing team that beat all the competitors to the punch.
[Middle English punchen, to thrust, prod, prick, from Old French poinçonner, ponchonner, to emboss with a punch, from poinçon, ponchon, pointed tool; see puncheon1.] punch'less adj.
Also, punch a or the clock. Check in at a job upon arrival, as in You have to punch in or you won't get paid, or In this office no one has to punch a clock. This usage alludes to the use of a time clock, which has a button an employee punches or strikes to record the time of arrival on a card. [1920s] Also see punch out, def. 1.
Keyboard data into a computer, as in He was careful about punching in all the payments. [Mid-1900s]
[puhnch] 
