center punch

noun

: a hand punch consisting of a short steel bar with a hardened conical point at one end used for marking the centers of holes to be drilled

Examples of center punch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
My first solution was get a thin piece of brass and make a dent in it with a center punch. IEEE Spectrum, 27 Aug. 2023 Start each hole with a center punch, and bore the 1-inch intake holes with a step bit [8]. Joe Kohl-Riggs, Popular Mechanics, 27 July 2023 Use a center punch and a hammer to mark the location of the hole and to give the drill bit a place to start without wandering. Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 30 Sep. 2021 The Penguins’ 1-2 center punch, until the big dogs return, might be Jake Guentzel and Jeff Carter. BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2021 Prevent the drill bit from wandering by first marking the center of each part with a center punch. David Agrell, Popular Mechanics, 12 Dec. 2020 Oryx center punched with a triad of .300 Winchester Magnum loads loped into the sands of the Kalahari, never to be seen again. Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 13 Jan. 2020 Buy a center punch and strike it with a ball-peen hammer. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 5 Feb. 2014

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of center punch was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near center punch

Cite this Entry

“Center punch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/center%20punch. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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