punch down

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punch down

verb punches down · punching down · punched down

intransitive, slang To attack or target a group that is weaker or of lower status than oneself. The anti-vaxx movement punches down and punches hard. Its leaders tend to be men and women from wealthy backgrounds. […] They draw a large part of their audience from the poor, the poorly educated and ethnic minorities.
Opposite: punch up
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see punch, down.

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MLA

"punch down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/punch%20down. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

punch down. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/punch%20down

Chicago

"punch down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/punch%20down.

BibTeX

@misc{punch_down_2026,
  title = {punch down},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/punch%20down},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}