punch up

1. (transitive)To beat (someone) up by punching, to fist-fight.

   He came back all punched up. He got a few stitches — they really punched him up good.

2. (intransitive, slang)To attack, counterattack, or target a group of greater power or status than oneself.

   Her standup act involves a lot of punching up. It's possible to punch down in standup, a little bit here and there, but it's tricky to get right.

3. (transitive)To make bolder, zestier, or more exciting.

   Near-synonyms: kick up, spice up

   He punched up his sauce with some habaneros. He figured he needed something to punch it up a little.

4. (transitive)To switch (a source) into the main transmission.

1. Tom lost a few teeth in the punch-up.

   ruТом лишился нескольких зубов в драке. — Balamax

   deTom hat bei der Schlägerei ein Paar Zähne eingebüßt. — quicksanddiver

   CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · sundown · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

2. Tom and John had an argument about Mary that ended in a punch-up.

   CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · patgfisher · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

irregular

• punch upTo beat (someone) up by punching, to fist-fight.
• punch outTo repeatedly hit a person.
• punch inTo enter a workplace by punching a timecard.
• punch downTo attack or target a group that is weaker or of lower status than oneself.