What does "punt" mean?
A narrow shallow boat, square at both ends, traditionally propelled by a pole.
Punt
/pʌnt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A narrow shallow boat, square at both ends, traditionally propelled by a pole.
- Grammar: punt is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adventure, ante, ante up, back.
- Useful contrasts: act, catch, decide.
- Usage evidence: A punt play is less common in American football than a pass or running play.
How to use "punt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "punt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "punt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "punt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "punt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "punt" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adventure" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "punt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A narrow shallow boat, square at both ends, traditionally propelled by a pole.
"Near-synonym: pontoon"
- 2 A kick made by a player who drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground.
- 3 A point in the game of faro. obsolete
- 4 The Irish pound, used as the unit of currency of Ireland until it was replaced by the euro in 2002.
- 5 (football) a kick in which the football is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 The act of playing basset, baccarat, faro, etc. obsolete
- 7 an open flat-bottomed boat used in shallow waters and propelled by a long pole wordnet
- 8 A bet or wager.
"Anyone up for a punt on Randwick?"
- 9 formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence wordnet
- 10 Gambling, as a pastime, especially betting on horseraces or the dogs. Australia
"Did I actually back a winner and finish in front on the punt?"
- 11 A highly speculative investment or other commitment.
"“Months ago, copper traders worldwide took a punt that Trump's tariff pitch for their market was real, not bluster.[…]”"
- 12 A wild guess.
- 13 The indentation in the base of a wine bottle.
- 14 A thin glass rod which is temporarily attached to a larger piece in order to better manipulate the larger piece.
Verb
- 1 To propel a punt or similar craft by means of a pole.
- 2 To dropkick; to kick something a considerable distance.
"At the dump he emptied the station wagon quickly and only once punted a bag of refuse, exploding it like a pinata at a Mexican Christmas."
- 3 To play basset, baccara, faro, etc.
"Here it was that, guarded by double doors, Sir Francis smoked cigars, and read Bell’s Life in London, and went to sleep after dinner, when he was not smoking over the billiard-table at his clubs, or punting at the gambling-houses in Saint James’s."
- 4 place a bet on wordnet
- 5 Of a fish, to walk along the seafloor using its fins as limbs.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 To dropkick; to kick something a considerable distance.; To kick a ball dropped from the hands before it hits the ground. (This puts the ball farther from the goal across which the opposing team is attempting to score, so improves the chances of the team punting.) intransitive, transitive
- 7 To stake against the bank, to back a horse, to gamble or take a chance more generally Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK
"She heard […] of his punting at gaming tables."
- 8 propel with a pole wordnet
- 9 To dropkick; to kick something a considerable distance.; To kick a bouncing ball far and high.
"With five minutes remaining Hennessey was down well to block another Vukcevic shot, while Gunter was smartly in to punt away the dangerous loose ball."
- 10 To make a highly speculative investment or other commitment, or take a wild guess. figuratively
- 11 kick the ball wordnet
- 12 To equivocate and delay or put off (answering a question, addressing an issue, etc). colloquial, intransitive
"The briefer reported it had been terminated on orders from Secretary Schlesinger, but attributed this to a sense Shamrock produced little, not to the fact it had been discovered. The NSA briefer punted on whether Fort Meade had been reading Americans' private messages, ..."
- 13 To retreat from one's objective; to abandon an effort one still notionally supports.
"Punting: Using svn revert¶ If you decide that you want to throw out your changes and start your edits again (whether this occurs after a conflict or anytime), just revert your changes"
- 14 To make the best choice from a set of non-ideal alternatives. colloquial, intransitive
- 15 To eject; to kick out of a place. colloquial, transitive
"The user is punted from the channel, and must rejoin to gain access."
Proper Noun
- 1 A former kingdom in the Afar Triangle, Horn of Africa, Africa, in what is now Ethiopia. A country contemporaneous with the Old Kingdom of Egypt, where frankincense, gold, ebony, ivory is found. historical
Example
"A punt play is less common in American football than a pass or running play."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "punt"?
Common synonyms include: adventure, ante, ante up, back, back, bet.
How do you use "punt" in a sentence?
A punt play is less common in American football than a pass or running play.
How do you pronounce "punt"?
Pronounced /pʌnt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Old English punt, from Latin pontō (“Gaulish flat-bottomed boat, pontoon”), from pons (“bridge”); readopted from Middle Low German punte (“ferry boat”) or Middle Dutch ponte (“ferry boat”) of the same origin.
Etymology 2
Possibly a dialectal variant of bunt. Rugby is the origin of the sports usage of the term.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from French pointe or Spanish punto (“point”). Doublet of point, pointe, ponto, puncto, punctum, and punto.
Etymology 4
Borrowed from Irish punt, from Middle English pund. Doublet of funt, pfund, pood, and pound.
Etymology 5
From Egyptian p-wn:n-t:N25 (pwnt).