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punch-up

American  
[puhnch-uhp] / ˈpʌntʃˌʌp /

noun

Slang.

  1. punch-out.

punch-up British  

noun

  1. informal a fight, brawl, or violent argument

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of punch-up

1955–60; noun use of verb phrase punch ( it ) up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Everton boss David Moyes' comments afterwards on his players' so-called punch-up were brilliant, saying "it shows they care".

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

Beth Stelling and Zainab Johnson lead a punch-up group focused on joke structure, punchlines and tags.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2025

McCann is an entirely different story and the explanation for his punch-up wasn’t quite as compelling.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 5, 2022

After the Game One punch-up, I sat out the rest of the series.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 4, 2019

But he has also come under fire for an apparent delay in informing JSA officials about last month’s punch-up.

From Reuters • Nov. 21, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.