punching bag
noun
punch·ing bag
ˈpən-chiŋ- 
1
: a stuffed or inflated bag usually suspended for free movement and punched for exercise or for training in boxing
2
: one who is routinely abused or defeated by another
Examples of punching bag in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The best use of Pact airpower was not to bomb NATO troops, but simply to act as a sponge – or a punching bag – for NATO aircraft.
—
Michael Peck, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
The docuseries explores how, throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, Barney turned into a cultural punching bag, the subject of disdain from adults and derision from kids desperate to disavow their childish pastimes.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2022
Trostyanets became an early punching bag in the Russian invasion, Tchaikovsky’s erstwhile estate and a nearby statue of the composer both sustaining damage.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2022
In the process, USC has become a punching bag, a bludgeon and a running thread in an increasingly acrimonious mayoral race.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for punching bag 
Michael Peck, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
The docuseries explores how, throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, Barney turned into a cultural punching bag, the subject of disdain from adults and derision from kids desperate to disavow their childish pastimes.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2022
Trostyanets became an early punching bag in the Russian invasion, Tchaikovsky’s erstwhile estate and a nearby statue of the composer both sustaining damage.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2022
In the process, USC has become a punching bag, a bludgeon and a running thread in an increasingly acrimonious mayoral race.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for punching bag
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punching bag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Punching bag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punching%20bag. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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