pull punches
pull punches verb: to avoid using a high level of force when punching.
Verb
pull punches (third-person singular simple present pulls punches, present participle pulling punches, simple past and past participle pulled punches)
- To avoid using a high level of force when punching.
- Traditionally on Okinawa (if 'traditionally' is the right word to use), protectors had been worn during sparring practise because the trainees believed that, to be effective, one should not train to pull punches.2017, Mark D Bishop, Zen Odyssey, An Okinawan Karate & Martial Arts Journey, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 228
- To act with reserve; especially, to word something delicately to avoid giving offense or inciting anger.
- Near-synonym: mince words
- I did not pull any punches when I told them my thoughts.
- Synonyms:
- hold back, mince words
Synonyms of pull punches
Forms of pull punches
| third-person singular present | pulls punches |
|---|---|
| present participle | pulling punches |
| past participle | pulled punches |
| past | pulled punches |
| alternative form | pull one's punches |
Origin of pull punches
Originally from boxing. First use appears c. the 1920s.
Questions about pull punches
- What does pull punches mean?
- Pull punches means to avoid using a high level of force when punching.
- What part of speech is pull punches?
- Pull punches is a verb.
- What is the past tense of pull punches?
- The past tense of pull punches is pulled punches.
Words near pull punches in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: pull punches (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-pull punches.ogg.
Cite this entry: “pull punches.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pull_punches. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.