punch line
nounDefinition of punch line
: the sentence, statement, or phrase (as in a joke) that makes the point
Examples of punch line in a Sentence
She didn't understand the punch line.
Recent Examples on the Web
The production rides those two shifting tectonic plates, batting and swiping at every possible punch line along the way for two hours (with a 20-minute intermission). — Rod Stafford Hagwood, sun-sentinel.com, "Review: 5 things to know about ‘Pray The Gay Away'," 24 Aug. 2019 The gag ends with a punch line about possibly changing a new song’s title so it won’t be misunderstood. — Joseph Peschel | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive.com, "Chuck Klosterman’s new short story collection ranges from topical tidbits to questionable gimmicks," 28 July 2019 Her wacky and extremely meme-able performance during the first round of debates last month brought her outsize attention, though much of it was as a punch line. — Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: The uniquely California rise of Marianne Williamson," 31 July 2019 Here’s the punch line: Only four NHL blue liners have collected more: Brent Burns, Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, and John Carlson. — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, "What will Don Sweeney do now with this Bruins roster?," 13 June 2019 Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights, no longer a punch line, were poised to bring back nearly their entire rotation before leading scorer and rebounder Eugene Omoruyi took his talents to Oregon. — Molly Geary, SI.com, "Big Ten Offseason Report: Power Rankings and Burning Questions for 2019-20," 16 July 2019 The punch line here is apparent: Cuomo has chosen to make natural gas the enemy at the very same time New York (and New England) needs more natural gas to reduce its emissions and keep the lights on. — Robert Bryce, National Review, "Cuomo’s Silly War on Natural Gas," 28 June 2019 Under the care and feeding of Jim Dolan, the Knicks have been reduced to a punch line. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Has Kevin Durant’s injury given the Knicks second thoughts?," 26 June 2019 When the punch line comes, the energy being expended to suppress inappropriate emotions, such as desire or hostility, is no longer needed and is released as laughter. — Giovanni Sabato, Scientific American, "What’s So Funny? The Science of Why We Laugh," 26 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'punch line.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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