punt

Plural: punts

Noun

formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence
an open flat-bottomed boat used in shallow waters and propelled by a long pole
(football) a kick in which the football is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground
- "the punt traveled 50 yards"
- "punting is an important part of the game"
A pontoon; a narrow shallow boat propelled by a pole.
A kick made by a player who drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground.
A point in the game of faro.
The act of playing at basset, baccara, faro, etc.
A bet or wager.
Gambling, as a pastime, especially betting on horseraces or the dogs.
A highly speculative investment or other commitment.
A wild guess.
An indentation in the base of a wine bottle.
A thin glass rod which is temporarily attached to a larger piece in order to better manipulate the larger piece.
The Irish pound, used as the unit of currency of Ireland until it was replaced by the euro in 2002.

Verb

Verb Forms: punted, punting, punts

To propel a boat with a pole; to kick a football.
kick the ball
propel with a pole
- "We went punting in Cambridge"
place a bet on
To propel a punt or similar craft by means of a pole.
Of a fish, to walk along the seafloor using its fins as limbs.
To dropkick; to kick something a considerable distance.
To dropkick; to kick something a considerable distance.
To kick a ball dropped from the hands before it hits the ground. (This puts the ball farther from the goal across which the opposing team is attempting to score, so improves the chances of the team punting.)
To dropkick; to kick something a considerable distance.
To kick a bouncing ball far and high.
To equivocate and delay or put off (answering a question, addressing an issue, etc).
To retreat from one's objective; to abandon an effort one still notionally supports.
To make the best choice from a set of non-ideal alternatives.
To eject; to kick out of a place.
To play at basset, baccara, faro, etc.
To stake against the bank, to back a horse, to gamble or take a chance more generally
To make a highly speculative investment or other commitment, or take a wild guess.

Examples

Anyone up for a punt on Randwick?
He decided to punt on a challenging bingo, playing a safer, lower-scoring word instead.

Origin / Etymology

From Old English [Term?], from Latin pontō (“Gaulish flat-bottomed boat, pontoon”), from pons (“bridge”); readopted from Middle Low German punte (“ferry boat”) or Middle Dutch ponte (“ferry boat”) of the same origin.

Synonyms

back, bet on, gage, game, Irish pound, Irish punt, pole, pound, punting, stake

Scrabble Score: 6

punt: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
punt: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
punt: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

punt: valid Words With Friends Word