The Archive

Etymology Journal ยท R

Roll with the punches

Meaning

To adapt to difficult or unpleasant situations rather than fighting against them. It is about being resilient when things do not go as planned.

Resilient, relaxed

Used in a sentence

  • Life is full of surprises so you just have to roll with the punches.
  • When the flight got delayed, she just decided to roll with the punches.
  • He is the kind of guy who can roll with the punches no matter what happens.

The backstory

This comes from boxing. A boxer who rolls with a punch moves their body with the strike to lessen the impact. It became a universal metaphor for handling life's setbacks.

Heard in

Nationwide

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