punch-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈpənch-ˌəp 

chiefly British

: fistfight

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

Noun

Then the Looney Tunes action was drawn on top of it, based on the storyboards and then on punch-ups — there’s a lot of collaboration, a lot of iterations. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026

Even though Jane’s definition really needs no punch-ups, in this reader’s opinion. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026

Verb

The crew worked for five hours as flames punched up from nearby trees. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Klein Blue made a striking statement at Bottega Veneta in a textured look, while Jil Sander, Givenchy, Dries Van Noten, and Lii used flashes of cobalt to punch up a more neutral palette. — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1958, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1959, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for punch-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup