punch-up

noun

Definition of punch-upnext
chiefly British
as in fisticuffs

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punch-up
  1. fistfight
  2. slugfest
  3. blows
  4. confrontation
  5. melee
  6. punch-out
  7. brawl
  8. duel
Noun
  • Bennett had gotten into a fistfight with Bowman outside an Atlanta hookah lounge and was fatally shot by someone in Bowman’s entourage.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • After the high-speed chase erupts into gunfire and a brutal fistfight, Kim hijacks the vehicle, takes the official hostage and speeds off a bridge into the water below.
    — Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of fistfight
Noun
  • Sweden loses key piece The first half was a sloppy slugfest as both teams tried to use their physicality to assume control.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026
  • The Republican race for governor between Rick Jackson and Burt Jones has been nothing short of a slugfest.
    — Shannon McCaffrey, AJC.com, 10 June 2026
Definition of slugfest
Noun
  • The sales of Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz particularly are big blows.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The impact of yesterday’s sharp drop in South Korean equities transmitted further into US markets overnight, spreading selling sentiment and dealing heavy blows to US semiconductor and memory stocks.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of blows
Noun
  • Footage circulating on social media appears to show a confrontation unfolding on the sidelines in the 73rd minute when Bielik was attempting to retrieve a ball that was thrown back into play by a young Portsmouth supporter.
    — Sam Joseph, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Videos of the confrontations got hundreds of thousands of views on social media, a burst of attention for a conservative youth organization that is charting its next chapter after last year’s fatal shooting of its leader Charlie Kirk.
    — Hannah Fingerhut, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of confrontation
Noun
  • Hermès positions itself above the melee, as a guardian of tasteful continuity.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Bros melee tournament taking place on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at Falcon Hall.
    — Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of melee
Noun
  • Most people aren’t focused on Advent calendars right now — those chocolates hidden under perforated punch-outs to celebrate each day of the season.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2026
  • During the portion of Thursday’s practice open to reporters, the Patriots practiced punch-out drills directly in front of reporters.
    — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
Definition of punch-out
Noun
  • After the fight, Shakur allegedly got into a brawl with Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips gang who had attempted to steal a Death Row Records medallion from a member of Shakur’s entourage.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The inciting incident behind the murder of one of the greatest rappers of all time very well might have been triggered by an ostensibly insignificant brawl at a mall Foot Locker.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of brawl
Noun
  • Two duel threat QBs that both struggled early and then balled out in the second half!
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The potential scenario of a Le Pen-Mélenchon second-round duel that polls suggest could end with a Le Pen victory could ultimately prompt some candidates to drop out, to concentrate votes behind mainstream alternatives.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of duel

Browse Nearby Words

punch-outs
punch-up
punch-ups
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Cite this Entry

“Punch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punch-up. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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