What does punting mean?
Punting has several related but distinct uses. Most familiarly in American English, it means kicking a football with the foot so that the ball travels far downfield, usually after it has been snapped or dropped. It can also mean propelling a small, flat-bottomed boat along a river or shallow lake by pushing with a pole, a traditional pastime especially associated with Britain. In financial and sporting contexts, punting means placing a wager, as when investors speculate on stocks or bookmakers encourage punters to bet. Less formally, to punt something means to postpone or avoid dealing with it. The word is therefore useful for describing both deliberate acts of propulsion and forceful gestures that leave an action unresolved: a punted football gains distance, a punted boat moves through water, and a punted decision gains time.
The activity of propelling a small boat with a pole, kicking a ball a long distance, or placing a wager; it can also refer informally to postponing or declining to deal with something.
"Years of punting on the river gave him a deep appreciation of local waterways."
The activity is normally treated as uncountable, although countable instances can occur in some contexts.
Used as the present participle of punt, especially in the senses of kicking a ball, propelling a boat, betting, or postponing an action.
"Rather than resolving the dispute, they were punting it until the following week."
The postponement or avoidance sense is informal and is especially common in American English.
Rare; punting is normally uncountable.
"Their early puntings gave the team an advantage."
A punt can turn a stalled football drive into distance, sending the ball far downfield in a single kick.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of punting
The modern English word developed from an English verb associated with moving a small, flat-bottomed boat by means of a pole. Its ultimate source is disputed, so it is safest not to assign it to a particular older language with certainty. Later senses developed for kicking a ball and for placing a wager, while informal American usage extended it to postponing or declining to deal with a matter.
Related word forms
How punting is actually used
The football sense is especially common in American English. The boat sense is traditional in British English, while the betting sense is particularly associated with British financial and sporting usage. The informal sense of postponing or declining to act is most common in American workplace and institutional contexts.
Easily confused with punting
Punting means kicking a ball, propelling a boat, or placing a wager, whereas panting means breathing quickly and heavily.