punch-up

1 of 2

noun

chiefly British

punch up

2 of 2

verb

punched up; punching up; punches up

transitive verb

: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Airline crew could not run the risk of a full-scale punch-up at 30,000ft. Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024 Writers didn’t want to do punch-ups on potentially crummy AI scripts or have their words (or ideas) cannibalized by large language models that didn’t pay them a dime. Marah Eakin, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
Black pepper has a characteristically piney heat that punches up the flavor of the velvety dense beans. Tiffany Vickers Davis, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024 But devoted fans of Jansson, the Finnish author better known for her Moomins books for children, will be delighted that her delicately personal work hasn’t been punched up. Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for punch-up 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1958, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of punch-up was in 1958

Dictionary Entries Near punch-up

Cite this Entry

“Punch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punch-up. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

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