punched up; punching up; punches up
: to give energy or forcefulness to
jokes added to punch up a speech
Examples of punch-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 July 2025
The Oscar promo did end up being released, with the main concept intact but minus those punch-ups.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2025
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Remember that comedy should punch up, not down—don’t take shots at those with less social capital than yourself.
—Anne Sugar, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch-up
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Noun
That said, the negative reputation surrounding the last lines in Jones’ thorny adaptation — a punch-up from Ellison’s original text that’s meaner and more sexist, no doubt — seems outsized.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 July 2025
The Oscar promo did end up being released, with the main concept intact but minus those punch-ups.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
Having to spend your day punching up a crappy slide deck your colleague’s chatbot spit out is annoying, to be sure.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Remember that comedy should punch up, not down—don’t take shots at those with less social capital than yourself.
—Anne Sugar, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch-up
Cite this Entry
“Punch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punch-up. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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