Meaning & use
punching above your weight
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Meanings
phraseidiomapproving
Doing better or having more influence than your size, experience or resources would lead people to expect.
Grammar: Usually appears in the continuous form with a possessive that matches the subject: she punches above her weight.
Patterns
- punch above your weight
- someone is punching above their weight
For such a small country, they are punching above their weight in the Olympics.
The little bakery punches above its weight and beats chains with ten times its budget.
Our team is punching above its weight by reaching the final with so few players.
phraseidiomhumorous
Trying to date or associate with someone who seems more attractive or successful than you are.
Grammar: Often used jokingly about relationships: he is punching above his weight.
Patterns
- punch above your weight with someone
My brother is definitely punching above his weight with his new girlfriend.
You are punching above your weight asking her out, but why not try?
Common combinations
- really punching above your weight
- The school is really punching above its weight in science.
- consistently punch above your weight
- The club has consistently punched above its weight in Europe.
- punching above its weight internationally
- The country punches above its weight internationally on climate policy.
- always punched above his weight
- He has always punched above his weight in negotiations.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overachieve
- Overachieve names the result without the boxing image, and it can sound neutral or even critical of someone who tries too hard.
- outperform
- Outperform compares results against others, while punching above your weight compares results against what the size or resources suggest.
- exceed expectations
- Exceed expectations is more formal and fits reports and reviews, while the idiom is chattier and more vivid.
Opposites
Word family
- punch verb
- to hit something with your fist
- heavyweight noun
- a powerful person or organization, or a boxer in the top weight class
- lightweight noun
- someone with little influence, or a boxer in a lighter class
Commonly confused: punching above your weight or pulling your weight?
punching above your weight vs pulling your weight
Pulling your weight means doing your fair share of the work. Punching above your weight means achieving more than expected.
Practice
With only five employees, the startup is ___ by winning contracts from huge firms.
Choose one answer.
Punching above its weight describes doing better than size suggests. Pulling its weight means doing a fair share, and throwing its weight around means using power in a bossy way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “punching above your weight”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.