touch-up

1 of 2

noun

: 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
What Kendall Jenner’s 818 tequila and Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter vodka soda brands are popping up in the desert for a one-day exclusive experience with cowboy hat customization, Anastasia Beverly Hills makeup touch-ups, snacks from Gopuff and more. Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024 Schwartz recommends getting your roots done for touch-ups or adding a vibrant gloss all over every four to six weeks. Audrey Noble, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2024 The city set aside $2.77 million in 2018 to install street cameras, brighten lighting, and uproot dead trees, among other touch-ups. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024 Overall, this is a great option for those who love to paint their own nails or looking to dupe a salon-looking manicure from home and feel confident with their touch-up skills. Kate Watson, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 Individual subscribers will also get access to portrait touch-ups. Emma Roth, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024 Flo was given her new name, Amy, after a Plaza maintenance worker’s daughter one year during the annual paint touch-up process. Sidney Steele, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Raven, the makeup artist, was nevertheless watching the monitors in case touch-ups were needed. Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024 Come to find out, his cut, dye and touch-up came from Figo Salon in Birmingham, and the same color is available there to anyone with a few hours and a few hundred dollars to devote to demonstrating their Lions fervor from the top down. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 24 Jan. 2024
Verb
Last month, the model shared a couple of oceanside bikini snaps, and casually slipped in a shot of herself holding a blush stick and appearing to use it to touch up her signature strawberry glam. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024 Weak Retail Sales After being touched up by a producer price index jab, the economy was hit with a serious right cross from a weaker-than-expected retail sales report. Will Daniel, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 Why shouldn’t the royal family want to touch up an image? Karla Adam, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 The refreshed clip opens with footage of MC getting touched up backstage before a quick cut of super-excited fans in their Santa finest getting pumped for the show. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Dec. 2023 But before officially entering the ceremony, the two paused for a moment to catch their breath — and to help touch up each other’s hair and makeup because that's what girlfriends are for. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024 My actresses frequently work really long hours and are constantly being touched up with powder, etc. Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 The jewelry armoire comes with an LED mirror which is perfect for touching up your makeup. Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2024 Women sit in their studio chairs, touching up their make-up one last time before strutting off to dance. By Chloe Herring, Brooke Henderson and Samantha J. Gross, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'touch-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1733, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of touch-up was in 1656

Dictionary Entries Near touch-up

Cite this Entry

“Touch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/touch-up. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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