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
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
Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Glühwein is essentially red wine that’s been punched up with traditional warm spices like cinnamon, clove, and star anise, and may also include citrus, sugar, and vanilla.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for punch-up 
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Noun
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
Verb
Miller would punch up Dallas’ top six and bring lineup versatility as someone who can shift between center and wing as needed.
—Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Glühwein is essentially red wine that’s been punched up with traditional warm spices like cinnamon, clove, and star anise, and may also include citrus, sugar, and vanilla.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 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 14 Feb. 2025.
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