Meanings
plural punchdowns
- communicationsA kind of electrical connection often used in telephony, having solid copper wires that are punched down into short open-ended slots which are a type of insulation-displacement connector. The slots contain blades which cut through the wire's insulation as it is punched down, and hold the wire in position while making electrical contact.
Synonyms: punch block
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA kind of electrical connection often used in telephony, having solid copper wires that are punched down into short open-ended slots which are a type of insulation-displacement connector. The slots contain blades which cut through the wire's insulation as it is punched down, and hold the wire in position while making electrical contact.
Origin
Deverbal from punch down.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
punchdown. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punchdown
“punchdown.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punchdown. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “punchdown,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punchdown.
Source: punchdown on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.