punching bag
noun
punch·ing bag
| \ ˈpən-chiŋ-
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Definition of punching bag
1
: a stuffed or inflated bag usually suspended for free movement and punched for exercise or for training in boxing
2
: one who is routinely abused or defeated by another
Examples of punching bag in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Valeant became a punching bag for presidential candidates in the 2016 election. — Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, "The FDA Went on an Epic Drug Approval Binge This Week: Brainstorm Health," 16 Aug. 2019 None of the four teams are expected to be punching bags in 2019-20 (there’s slight optimism bubbling in Chicago) but Boston is a step ahead of each franchise by a marked margin. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "NBA Schedule Release: Interesting Storylines That Will Shape the 2019-20 Season," 13 Aug. 2019 Amazon’s public relations Twitter account is starting to look a lot more like a political rapid response unit as the retailer increasingly becomes a punching bag for Democrats. — Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, "The Technology 202: Amazon is clapping back at politicians on Twitter," 18 June 2019 Biden as punching bag O'Rourke, the former El Paso congressman, lucked out when his name was drawn for Wednesday’s debate. — Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, "20 for 2020: Dual Democratic debates in Miami could be defining or disastrous for presidential hopefuls," 24 June 2019 Warren was the only one to eclipse the century mark in a game, and that came against Mountain West punching bag San Jose State. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Transfer could solve RB woes for Texas," 8 May 2018 The Democrats’ House campaign arm, which had become a punching bag for conservatives and liberal insurgents alike, had one job Tuesday: avoid a lockout in California. — David Weigel, Washington Post, "Slow waves, high turnout and no lockouts: Four lessons from this week’s primaries," 7 June 2018 Now dozens of them — along with Ali quotations, fight posters, ticket stubs, magazine covers — adorn the walls of the spacious gym, with its regulation ring and punching bag. — Frank Fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "Muhammad Ali's secluded Pa. camp and the fight to save it, led by John Madden's son," 3 July 2018 No one should have thought the Raptors morphed from Cavaliers postseason punching bag to the young Mike Tyson this season. — Bud Shaw, cleveland.com, "The Cavs scored a good win over Toronto, not a knockout punch -- Bud Shaw," 22 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'punching bag.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for punching bag
punching bag
noun
English Language Learners Definition of punching bag
US
: a very heavy bag that usually hangs from the ceiling and that is punched for exercise or training
See the full definition for punching bag in the English Language Learners Dictionary