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• touch-up
  touch-up

  noun

  an act or instance of touching up.
• touch up
  touch up

  verb

  to put extra or finishing touches to

touch-up

American  

[tuhch-uhp] / ˈtʌtʃˌʌp /

noun

1. an act or instance of touching up.

   Her makeup needed a touch-up.

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touch up British  

verb

1. to put extra or finishing touches to

2. to enhance, renovate, or falsify by putting extra touches to

   to touch up a photograph

3. to stimulate or rouse as by a tap or light blow

4. slang to touch or caress (someone), esp to arouse sexual feelings

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noun

1. a renovation or retouching, as of a painting

touch up Idioms  

1. Make minor changes or improvements, as in This wall needs some touching up but not complete repainting. [Early 1700s]

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Etymology

Origin of touch-up

First recorded in 1880–85; noun use of verb phrase touch up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

touch-up touch up

But the team doesn’t just apply a flattering touch-up to sickly markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

She tried not to over-process her hair when she had a relaxer, and would sometimes wait six weeks or two months before getting a touch-up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2023

The Coronation Chair, on which King Charles III will sit for part of his ceremony on Saturday, is getting a touch-up.

From New York Times ● May 5, 2023

People aspire to capture their essence by wearing their fragrances and makeup, which Rihanna acknowledged by subtly promoting her Fenty cosmetics line mid-performance with an on-camera touch-up.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2023

There were a few cracked ones on Grandma and Grandpop’s porch that could use a little touch-up, so maybe that’s what she was up to, Genie was thinking when Ernie slapped his arm.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

I want to touch up everything at all of my properties, so it continues to look like the pictures because your reviews are so important.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

In a behind-the-scenes film shared by Coke, a voice-over discusses the “team of artists” who “work frame-by-frame, often pixel-by-pixel” to touch up and tweak the festive images generated by the AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

New photos taken during filming show some of our favourite Gavin & Stacey stars on set, with Ruth Jones, as Nessa, getting a quick touch up to her make-up while filming on Trinity Street.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024

He credited that in part to drills arranged by Kraken assistant coach Jay Leach to touch up certain aspects of his game and build his confidence.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2024

The treatment had not worked as rapidly or completely as we had hoped, but I had a dark undercoating of pigment which I could touch up perfectly with stain.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin