body blow

American

[bod-ee bloh] / ˈbɒd i ˌbloʊ /

noun

Boxing. a blow driven to the opponent's body between the breastbone and the navel.
any action that causes severe damage, losses, etc..

Our business received a body blow in the recession.

body blow British

noun

Also called: body punch. boxing a blow to the body of an opponent
a severe disappointment or setback

unavailability of funds was a body blow to the project

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

body blow Idioms

An action that causes severe damage, as in This last recession dealt a body blow to our whole industry. This term comes from boxing, where since the 18th century it has been used to refer to a punch that is landing between the opponent's chest and navel. [c. 1900]

Etymology

Origin of body blow

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The team's body blow was one which left home supporters stunned as Newcastle fell to a damaging 3-2 defeat.

From BBC

The number of workers affected has yet to be clarified, but union bosses described the news from the Barlaston factory as "another body blow" for the sector.

From BBC

“Yet another body blow from the pounding relentlessness of the back-to-back-to-back-to-back fires,” he writes.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a body blow for Guardiola and he revealed heart-to-heart talks with the squad during the Club World Cup in the summer re-established their focus.

From BBC

Coming as it did on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, the soaring prices and supply chain delays felt like a body blow.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023