punched up; punching up; punches up
: to give energy or forcefulness to
jokes added to punch up a speech
Examples of punch-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Szalay, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2024
Of the new cast additions, only Ayoade is doing anything funny, but Xeni’s pretentious banter could have used a writerly punch-up from somebody like Richard Ayoade.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Dec. 2024
In 2025, the textural and tactile qualities of the neutral bedroom will be punched up a level with color.
—Colleen Sullivan, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for punch-up 
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.
Noun
Toward the end there’s a punch-up, with several players involved.
—David Szalay, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2024
Of the new cast additions, only Ayoade is doing anything funny, but Xeni’s pretentious banter could have used a writerly punch-up from somebody like Richard Ayoade.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
So Kevin wrote a great first draft and there’s some stuff in there that still is in the film, but with the exception of Darrick [Bachman], who is a proper screenwriter, who came in later to punch up some stuff, everyone else is a storyboard artist-writer.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Dec. 2024
In 2025, the textural and tactile qualities of the neutral bedroom will be punched up a level with color.
—Colleen Sullivan, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for punch-up
Dictionary Entries Near punch-up
Cite this Entry
“Punch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punch-up. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share