Word.ws English Dictionary

pulls punches

pulls punches is the third-person singular simple present indicative of pull punches.

Meaning of pull punches

Verb

pull punches (third-person singular simple present pulls punches, present participle pulling punches, simple past and past participle pulled punches)

  1. 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
  2. (figuratively) To act with reserve; especially, to word something delicately to avoid giving offense or inciting anger.
    • Near-synonym: mince words

Questions about pulls punches

What is pulls punches the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Pulls punches is the third-person singular simple present indicative of pull punches.

Words near pulls punches in the dictionary

  1. pulls out of one's ass
  2. pulls out of the bag
  3. pulls out of the fire
  4. pulls out of the hat
  5. pulls over
  6. pulls punches
  7. pulls rank
  8. pulls round
  9. pulls short
  10. pulls short up
  11. pulls someone down a peg

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: pulls punches (page history and authors); 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.

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