How to Use punch line in a Sentence
punch line
noun
- She didn't understand the punch line.
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How much longer will this state be the punch line to an old joke?
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J.d. Crowe | [email protected],
al,
26 Feb. 2021
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Harris is the punch line and appears to be in on the joke.
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Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
23 July 2024
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The setup may have been well-worn, but the punch line was sublime.
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Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
13 May 2021
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Then Baffert fell silent and waited for the punch line to land.
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Tim Layden,
SI.com,
3 May 2018
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Her surname was revered by fans — but cut to a punch line by satirists.
—
New York Times,
28 June 2022
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In a way that’s too bad, because there is a snarky and timely punch line to the whole mess.
—
Gary Thompson,
charlotteobserver,
12 Apr. 2018
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Under the care and feeding of Jim Dolan, the Knicks have been reduced to a punch line.
—
Gary Peterson,
The Mercury News,
26 June 2019
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In a way that’s too bad, because there is snarky and timely punch line to the whole mess.
—
Gary Thompson,
Philly.com,
11 Apr. 2018
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If the worst happens, Webb could become a piece of junk in space, and a punch line on Earth.
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Marina Koren,
The Atlantic,
20 Dec. 2021
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The punch line did not come close to the kind of satire Putin’s Russia needed and deserved.
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Simon Shuster,
TIME,
4 Jan. 2024
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The Witch is like one of those really long jokes with a deeply stupid punch line.
—
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2023
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The punch line to all of this is—this really isn’t a new product for Heinz.
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Chris Morris,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2023
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By the punch line, five minutes later, the crowd of donors was putty in his hands.
—
Los Angeles Times,
22 Nov. 2021
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The painting in question just seems to be crying out for a punch line.
—
Françoise Mouly,
The New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2021
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In Face the Music, the transgressions of Bill’s and Ted’s boomer-era dads are not just played for laughs—they’re the punch line.
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Devin Gordon,
The Atlantic,
28 Aug. 2020
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Pedro had started to tell a joke, and Phan landed the punch line.
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Megan Friedman,
Country Living,
26 May 2017
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Rather than try to tease a punch line from the tragedy of war, the episode opened by making space for something more poignant.
—
Amanda Wicks,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2022
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In classic form, Forte overextended the gag far past the punch line.
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Amanda Wicks,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2022
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Ryan Gosling's dog costar in his upcoming movie The Fall Guy is not just a punch line.
—
Tommy McArdle,
Peoplemag,
14 Mar. 2024
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The punch line remains the same, but its potency has changed.
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Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
16 Apr. 2022
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He’s a Batman who can deliver — and be — the punch line.
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Globe Staff,
BostonGlobe.com,
25 Feb. 2022
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Special teams coach Cam Achord cannot be in charge of that punch line of a unit anymore.
—
Chad Finn,
BostonGlobe.com,
11 Jan. 2023
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In real life that’s Derek Simpson, and that has been his friends’ go-to punch line all year.
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Emily Kaplan,
SI.com,
24 Feb. 2015
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In its first decade of life, the website appeared in as many punch lines as headlines.
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Richard Cooke,
Wired,
17 Feb. 2020
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The fan base always feels like Atlanta is the punch line and that their teams don’t get enough respect.
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Bob Brookover,
Philly.com,
12 Jan. 2018
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But no one seems to ever remember the punch line, so wait for it.
—
Mike Edison,
Vulture,
25 Aug. 2021
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How many Russians are ready to face such a punch line will become clear soon.
—
Vladislav Inozemtsev,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2011
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In a recent ad for Sketchers, he's even made his banishment a punch line.
—
Lee Cowan,
CBS News,
19 Oct. 2014
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Residual bitterness toward Disney shows up in the form of a punch line or three.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punch line.' 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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