touch-up

1 of 2

noun

ˈtəch-ˌəp 

: an act or instance of touching up

touch up

2 of 2

verb

touched up; touching up; touches up

transitive verb

1

: to improve or perfect by small additional strokes or alterations : fix the minor and usually visible defects or damages of

2

: to stimulate by or as if by a flick of a whip

Examples of touch-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At the most recent Miami race, Charlotte Tilbury Cosmetics’ trailer offered makeup artists touch-ups to fans whose makeup may have melted in the South Florida sun. —Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 10 June 2024

Then, on Tuesday, SpaceX lowered the Starship upper stage from the top of the Super Heavy booster, presumably to perform final touch-ups to ship's heat shield, comprised of 18,000 hexagonal ceramic tiles to protect its stainless-steel structure during reentry. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 4 June 2024

Verb

During the moment, Travis, who was dressed in a tuxedo, top hat and Christian Louboutin shoes, stepped in for the dancer who usually carries Swift during the segment and pretended to touch up her face with powder. —Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024

Can a new board change its mind after the fact and prohibit us from touching up our paint or repainting our house in the same color in the years ahead? —Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1733, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

touch-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈtəch-ˌəp

: an act or instance of touching up

touch up

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)təch-ˈəp

: to improve by or as if by small changes : fix the little imperfections of