punter
punter Lexical Profile
punter Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American In gridiron football, a specialist player who receives the snapped ball and kicks (punts) it downfield to the opposing team on fourth down.
"The team's punter pinned the opposing offense inside their own five-yard line with a well-placed kick."
British A person who gambles or places a bet, especially on horse racing or sporting events.
"Thousands of hopeful punters studied the racing form before placing their wagers at the track."
British An ordinary customer, client, or member of the audience or general public.
"The theater manager lowered ticket prices to attract more local punters to the midweek performances."
A person who propels a flat-bottomed boat (a punt) along a shallow river by pushing against the riverbed with a long pole.
"The skilled punter guided the wooden boat smoothly beneath the stone bridges of Cambridge."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American English, "punter" almost exclusively refers to the football player who kicks the ball on fourth down, whereas in British and Australian English it commonly refers to a gambler or an ordinary customer.
• Rhymes for punter
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed from the verb "punt" plus the agent suffix "-er"; the gambling and customer senses derive from early 18th-century French "ponte" (a player who bets against the bank in card games), from Spanish "punto" (point), while the boating sense comes from Old English "punt" (flat-bottomed boat), from Latin "ponto".