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
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2025
That’s because the two-time Emmy Award winner has punched up the comedy at Oscars, Tony, Grammy and Emmy awards shows as a writer.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
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
Garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs punch up the flavor of the heart-healthy salmon and veggies (which roast to perfection after very little effort).
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2025
That’s because the two-time Emmy Award winner has punched up the comedy at Oscars, Tony, Grammy and Emmy awards shows as a writer.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punch-up
Cite this Entry
“Punch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punch-up. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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