punch vs stab

punch

verb
  • To thrust against; to poke. 

  • To employ a punch to create a hole in or stamp or emboss a mark on something. 

  • To strike with one's fist. 

  • To enter (information) on a device or system. 

  • To herd. 

  • To mark a ticket. 

  • To make holes in something (rail ticket, leather belt, etc) 

  • To operate (a device or system) by depressing a button, key, bar, or pedal, or by similar means. 

  • In winemaking, to perform pigeage: to stamp down grape skins that float to the surface during fermentation. 

  • To hit (a ball or similar object) with less than full force. 

noun
  • A mechanism for punching holes in paper or other thin material. 

  • A hole or opening created with a punch. 

  • Impact. 

  • Any of various riodinid butterflies of the genus Dodona of Asia. 

  • An extension piece applied to the top of a pile; a dolly. 

  • A prop, as for the roof of a mine. 

  • Power, strength, energy. 

  • A device, generally slender and round, used for creating holes in thin material, for driving an object through a hole in a containing object, or to stamp or emboss a mark or design on a surface. 

  • A hit or strike with one's fist. 

  • A blow from something other than the fist. 

  • A beverage, generally containing a mixture of fruit juice and some other beverage, often alcoholic. 

stab

verb
  • To thrust in a stabbing motion. 

  • To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander. 

  • To pierce or to wound (somebody) with a (usually pointed) tool or weapon, especially a knife or dagger. 

  • To roughen a brick wall with a pick so as to hold plaster. 

  • To cause a sharp, painful sensation (often used with at). 

  • To pierce folded sheets, near their back edges, for the passage of thread or wire. 

  • To recklessly hit with the tip of a (usually pointed) object, such as a weapon or finger (often used with at). 

noun
  • The horizontal or vertical stabilizer of an aircraft. 

  • A wound made by stabbing. 

  • An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object. 

  • Pain inflicted on a person's feelings. 

  • Criticism. 

  • An attempt. 

  • A single staccato chord that adds dramatic impact to a composition. 

  • A bacterial culture made by inoculating a solid medium, such as gelatin, with the puncture of a needle or wire. 

How often have the words punch and stab occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )