touch-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈtəch-ˌəp 

: an act or instance of touching up

touch up

2 of 2

verb

touched up; touching up; touches up

transitive verb

1

: to improve or perfect by small additional strokes or alterations : fix the minor and usually visible defects or damages of

2

: to stimulate by or as if by a flick of a whip

Examples of touch-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Complete your routine with Performance Whitening Toothpaste or keep a whitening pen handy for easy touch-ups on the go. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

The party took over three levels of the Avalon, offering up plenty of activities with a tarot reader, portrait and hair tinsel stations, photo booth, makeup touch-up counter and a red carpet. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

Quinn rushed back to the venue, changed into her new dress, and touched up her makeup within a few minutes and was just in time for family photos. — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

According to Farel, traditional coverage can mean touching up roots approximately every four weeks, while blending techniques may stretch appointments to every eight to 12 weeks. — Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1733, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for touch-up

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

Kids Definition

touch-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈtəch-ˌəp

: an act or instance of touching up

touch up

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)təch-ˈəp

: to improve by or as if by small changes : fix the little imperfections of