as in fisticuffs
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Recent Examples of punch-up
About deluded coaches and philandering teammates and practice-field punch-ups.
—
Leander Schaerlaeckens
june 8,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
Among them are Neeson as a Great Gatsby-esque type who puts Declan in the hospital after a punch-up and Cleese as a priest who also doubles as the Grim Reaper.
—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Two of the pilots are multi-camera shows, which are shot in front of a live audience and can benefit from the plethora of comedy writers who live in the area and serve as punch-up writers.
—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
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
Often, when shows do crossovers, the writers on one will do punch-up for their characters on the other.
—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2025
Toward the end there’s a punch-up, with several players involved.
—
David Szalay,
The New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2024
Leander Schaerlaeckens
june 8,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
Among them are Neeson as a Great Gatsby-esque type who puts Declan in the hospital after a punch-up and Cleese as a priest who also doubles as the Grim Reaper.
—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Two of the pilots are multi-camera shows, which are shot in front of a live audience and can benefit from the plethora of comedy writers who live in the area and serve as punch-up writers.
—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
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
Often, when shows do crossovers, the writers on one will do punch-up for their characters on the other.
—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2025
Toward the end there’s a punch-up, with several players involved.
—
David Szalay,
The New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch-up
Noun
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Its satirical video, depicting politicians descending into an all-out fistfight, proved especially prescient during the fevered atmosphere of the 2016 election cycle.
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Dilliehunt and Bland were shot and killed during a fistfight on the 1600 block of 83rd Avenue in Oakland, which the surviving victims claim started with an argument over a parking spot.
Noun
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The Yankees started their slugfest in style against the Rays, as Judge’s big fly traveled 429 feet to the batter’s eye at Steinbrenner Field.
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Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover Notes: It’s been a slow, ugly slugfest among the backup tight ends to see who can win the No. 3 job.
Noun
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Onaje died four days later — having suffered fatal brain hemorrhaging from multiple blows to his skull.
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Officers said that Samartino quickly assessed the situation and immediately began administering back blows to the infant.
Noun
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The prosecutor argued that Styles’ death was more than a confrontation.
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Yet despite his later involvement in politics, McCloskey remains most closely associated with the confrontation that unfolded outside his home in June 2020.
Noun
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Mtula Payton didn’t cause that melee to occur.
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Nicolas Cage headlines through the Nick Cage Event Pass running June 25 to July 23, whose free track hands out the AN-94 assault rifle and Executioner's Duet melee weapon.
Noun
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During the portion of Thursday’s practice open to reporters, the Patriots practiced punch-out drills directly in front of reporters.
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For a lower-stakes, breezier project, try a camellias-lilacs-and-sunflower wooden bouquet ($40) or a faintly Lovecraftian punch-out assembly kit for a venomous blue-ringed octopus ($40).
Noun
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Thirteen players, including four Australians, are ejected for their part in the brawl.
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The Red Sox and Nationals turned a regular June game into the biggest baseball brawl of the season after Boston hothead Willson Contreras completely lost it.
Noun
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The drama had returned, Scheffler and Hovland resumed their duel, with Morikawa watching hopefully, but helplessly.
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But when Aemond arrives unexpectedly, the castellan wonders if a duel can’t be avoided.
Cite this Entry
“Punch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch-up. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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