body blow

noun

1
: a blow to the body
2
: a damaging or deeply felt blow
an economic body blow

Examples of body blow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At the same time, the filmmaker sought an equally dynamic tonal register, offsetting the blunt force and body blows with a golden oldies soundtrack heavy on Petula Clark. Ben Croll, Variety, 22 June 2024 The tandem hit one massive shot after another, fending off every Minnesota body blow in the process, and putting Minnesota’s season in major peril. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 May 2024 The Cougars sustained their own body blows two weeks ago when basketball coach Kyle Smith and athletic director Pat Chun left for Stanford and Washington, respectively. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024 The surest way to demoralize Green Bay is with an early body blow. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for body blow 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'body blow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of body blow was in 1788

Dictionary Entries Near body blow

Cite this Entry

“Body blow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/body%20blow. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on body blow

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!