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

This wasn't my first root touch-up rodeo, and other kits just haven't been able to stamp out all my truly stubborn, pain-in-the-ass grays, and/or the color has faded away in a week or two. — Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 1 Nov. 2026

Then exits the room to make her entrance again as a makeup artist appears to administer touch-ups and a wardrobe assistant swoops in to adjust one of the women’s hats. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2026

Verb

Allure notes that clients can get their freckle tattoos touched up as the pigment fades. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

The restoration also accounted for previous errors made by past experts who had touched up the painting, fixing, for example, pieces of the painting depicting the figure’s mouth and chin, which had been set in the wrong place. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 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