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
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2025
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
Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Adjust seasonings as needed to punch up the flavor before serving.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch-up
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Noun
But comics depend on feedback – punch-ups from fellow comedians and reactions from audiences – iterating jokes in the same way lean startups may innovate new products.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2025
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
Verb
But given the scoring punch up front, the high-end talent on the back end, three goalies who could make Canada’s A-Team, and just enough defensive-minded players to lean on in a close game — not to mention all that youthful energy and excitement— this group wouldn’t be an easy out for anyone.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Adjust seasonings as needed to punch up the flavor before serving.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 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 7 Jan. 2026.
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