punt

1 of 7

verb (1)

punted; punting; punts

transitive verb

1
: to kick (something, such as a football or soccer ball) with the top of the foot before the ball which is dropped from the hands hits the ground
2
: to pass (something, such as a problem) to someone else
The mayor, according to his press release, has punted this problem back to city staff …John Lorinc
3
: to defer (something) indefinitely : table sense 1a
There's a sense that leaders around the state would rather punt the issue of high school sports … than make a difficult decision.Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME)

intransitive verb

1
: to punt a ball
2
: to defer a decision about something
often used with on
According to the report, the consensus for now appears to be to punt on whether an invention conceived of by AI is eligible for patent protection …Chethan K. Srinivasa
… while Congress continues to punt on the issue, four states passed ballot initiatives in 2014 to raise the minimum wage and cities across the country have committed to or already done the same.Katie McDonough

punt

2 of 7

noun (1)

: the act or an instance of punting (see punt entry 1) a ball

punt

3 of 7

noun (2)

: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with square ends usually propelled with a pole

punt

4 of 7

verb (2)

punted; punting; punts

transitive verb

: to propel (a boat, such as a punt) with a pole

punt

5 of 7

noun (3)

: the monetary pound of Ireland

punt

6 of 7

verb (3)

punted; punting; punts

intransitive verb

1
: to play at a gambling game against the banker
2
British : gamble

punt

7 of 7

noun (4)

plural punts
: a concave indentation in the bottom of a wine bottle

Examples of punt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Bet on it Broncos punt on first drive (-120): Here is how Denver’s opening drives have played out in six games: field goal, punt, touchdown, punt, punt and interception. Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2024 The Saints could only manage five yards in three plays before punting. Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 8 Oct. 2024
Noun
The Ravens will take over on their own eight after the punt. Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024 Corey Ballentine was also credited with fumbling a punt, but that mishap happened when return man Keisean Nixon pulled away at the last minute. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for punt 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

origin unknown

Noun (2)

Middle English *punt, from Old English, from Latin ponton-, ponto

Noun (3)

Irish, pound, from English pound

Verb (3)

French ponter, from ponte point in some games, play against the banker, from Spanish punto point, from Latin punctum — more at point

Noun (4)

probably a shortening of punt mark or a similar collocation with punt "metal rod used in fashioning hot glass" (shortened from punty), referring to the mark left by the rod in a piece of blown glass

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1845, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1759, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1975, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

1712, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (4)

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of punt was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near punt

Cite this Entry

“Punt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punt. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

punt

1 of 4 noun
: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with square ends usually pushed along with a pole

punt

2 of 4 verb
: to propel (as a punt) with a pole

punt

3 of 4 verb
: to kick a football before it touches the ground when dropped from the hands
punter noun

punt

4 of 4 noun
: the act or an instance of punting a ball
Etymology

Noun

Old English punt "a flat-bottomed boat pushed along with a pole," from Latin ponton-, ponto "punt, floating bridge, pontoon" — related to pontoon

Verb

origin unknown

Geographical Definition

Punt

geographical name

a part of Africa not certainly identified but probably Somaliland
an ancient Egyptian name

More from Merriam-Webster on punt

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