punch below one's weight
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To perform less well than expected or capable of
Literally: hit blows that are not as strong as one's ability
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The new employee is punching below his weight, given his excellent qualifications
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “punch below one's weight” mean?
To perform less well than expected or capable of Literally: hit blows that are not as strong as one's ability
Is “punch below one's weight” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.