How to Use rough in a Sentence

rough

1 of 4 adjective

• He trimmed the rough edge of the paper.
• They've hit a few rough spots in their marriage.
• We were a bit shaken from the plane's rough landing.
• Despite a rough start, the team won more games this season than last.
• We traveled over rough dirt roads.
• They hiked through rough terrain.
• He went through a rough patch after his divorce.
• It's been a rough year for the Windy City in terms of pests.
  — Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
• The legal case made a rough stretch of French's life rougher.
  — USA Today, 25 July 2023
• It’s been a rough few years for Tyson on the chicken front.
  — Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 7 Aug. 2023
• Swift has had a rough go at the Rio portion of her tour.
  — Carita Rizzo, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023
• Despite the condition of the home, Haun had a rough idea of the value of the lot.
  — Archway Homes, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024
• It's been a rough couple of weeks for Davante Adams on the stat sheet.
  — Ryan Morik, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2023
• But for the world, 2023 has been a rough year, with evil on the march in far too many corners of our globe.
  — Jim Geraghty, National Review, 28 Dec. 2023
• Then, after a 10-minute wait on the tee box of the par 3 eighth hole, Jiménez’s tee shot found the deep rough short right of the green.
  — Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 10 June 2023
• Yams Yams are a dry, starchy root vegetable with rough skin that looks a bit like the bark of a tree.
  — Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2023
• Parts of the road are unpaved and can become rutted and rough.
  — Paul McHugh, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
• My cheeks looked smooth and glassy, instead of textured and rough.
  — Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 23 June 2023
• Matthew hit a bit of a rough patch after wrapping Zoey 101.
  — Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 27 July 2023
• The festival got off to a rough start this year and may have proved foretelling.
  — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
• Older writers would get rough or chase the younger kids.
  — Matt Thompson, Spin, 26 Sep. 2023
• There are also what may be a few rough schematics dating to the Stone Age.
  — Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 17 May 2023
• Alycia Debnam-Carey has had a rough go of it over the last decade onscreen.
  — Keely Weiss, ELLE, 6 June 2023
• Even through all that rough-housing, the mouse toy looked as good as new at the end of the testing period.
  — Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
• By all accounts, 2023 was shaping up to be a rough year for Shakira.
  — Bethonie Butler, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023
• Members of the search and rescue team crossed rough terrain to reach the missing hikers.
  — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 17 May 2023
• Applebee’s is trying to bounce back from a rough few years.
  — Bychris Morris, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2024
• In the short video shared on TikTok, Gomez works out a rough sketch of the song at the piano and appears to have most of the first two verses written.
  — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2023
• That has gotten me through some pretty rough patches in my life.
  — Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2023
• Made from tough rubber that holds up to rough play, this ball is sure to become your dog’s favorite toy.
  — Rebecca Martinson, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023

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rough

2 of 4 adverb

• He plays rough with the dog.
• The engine is running a little rough.
• Life has been treating her pretty rough.
• Six-inch rough-cut logs are $3.20 per lineal foot in Fairbanks.
  — John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 1 May 2021
• The game is a huge upgrade from the original’s rough-looking graphics.
  — Washington Post, 24 May 2021
• Simply twist the rough-dry tool attachment to activate the flyaway mode to smooth hair for a sleek finish.
  — Katie Intner, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 June 2022
• By answering the conjecture, the coauthors of the new work have placed a rough-cut restriction on the spaces in which higher-rank lattices can act.
  — Quanta Magazine, 23 Oct. 2018
• Soon after, the movie's rather rough-looking cast of characters is all introduced.
  — Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Aug. 2020
• Playing on a field left rough and rutted by a weekend music event, Vancouver broke in front in the 15th minute on a counter-attack goal from Dájome, his 10th of the season.
  — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2021
• West’s music was sludgy and rough-edged, with growly vocals and squealing guitar solos.
  — al, 24 Dec. 2020
• Shelves above each bed are made from rough-cut and original two-by-fours repurposed when these apartments were remodeled last winter and spring.
  — Dina Mishev, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2019
• Thousands of migrants are sleeping rough on the streets and the parks after trying to cross the border into Croatia but are being pushed back into Bosnia, aid groups say.
  — Washington Post, 13 June 2019
• Alex Borstein, who plays Susie Myerson, Midge’s rough-around-the-edges manager, also saw filming as a brief escape from the anxieties of the pandemic.
  — Meg Donohue, Town & Country, 25 Feb. 2022
• Takkenberg, who retains the rough-around-the-edges demeanor of an ex-cop, joked that van Ruitenbeek would probably excel despite never having played.
  — Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 7 Sep. 2022
• Last night, Morris updated her Instagram story with a close-up shot of the engagement ring—a large, unique rough-cut diamond.
  — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, 10 July 2017
• Walls and decorative transom windows above doors were covered in rough-cut plywood.
  — oregonlive, 1 June 2020
• Hotel staff stayed on while the country mostly shut down, collaborating with rough-sleeping charities round the clock.
  — Shafi Musaddique, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2021
• When Trump suggested that police rough up suspects, the crowd—and the uniformed officers sitting behind him on stage—applauded.
  — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 28 July 2017
• The interior is rich and inviting, sporting natural materials such as wood and rough-cut stone.
  — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 July 2022
• Dyson advises you rough dry until your hair is damp to touch before swapping out the attachment for a brush or curling barrel — these other attachments will finish drying your damp strands.
  — Nicole Saunders, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2021
• Nevertheless, Mitch and Mike McLusky enjoy great respect in their working-class town and are definitely serving a need, as evidenced by the large (and rough-looking) crowd that fills their office waiting room.
  — Lynette Rice, EW.com, 14 Nov. 2021
• Most are sleeping rough, either full-time or intermittently.
  — The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
• His languid acerbic wit and genteel sophistication are the perfect foil to Carell's tightly wound, rough-around-the-edges, everything-by-the-book general, who feels deeply but keeps those feelings bottled up, as a good soldier should.
  — Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 May 2020
• At first, her encounters with De Casta’s Chief, a rough-talking teenage parking attendant, only reinforce her frosty disdain.
  — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2022
• But instead of its wild side being inaccessible to most, this system’s rough-cut gem spins off an easy trail less than a mile from a trailhead and appeals to hikers with a sense of adventure, experience, and sturdy boots with good traction.
  — Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2022
• In 2015 Lebedev and Johnson slept rough on the streets together to raise awareness for one of his papers’ charity appeals, which have raised millions for causes including elephants and homeless veterans.
  — Simon Usborne, Town & Country, 21 Feb. 2021
• Just as Hoss brings her skills as a violinist to the part, young cellist Sophie Kauer adds authenticity in her impressive first acting role as the rough-edged but preternaturally poised Olga.
  — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2022
• An edger sander is your best bet for rough-sanding tight spots (like corners) and smaller spaces (like a closet), while a random orbital sander is recommended for non-professionals tackling the refinishing of a larger space on their own.
  — Sarah Baird, Good Housekeeping, 14 Sep. 2020
• He plays rough with the dog.
• The engine is running a little rough.

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rough

3 of 4 noun

• He showed me a few roughs of the new building.
• He hit his drive into the rough.
• His lob wedge from a fluffy lie in the rough came out soft, short and in a bunker.
  — Doug Ferguson, The Seattle Times, 31 Mar. 2019
• An onion, or maybe half an onion, peeled and rough chopped.
  — Paula Forbes, GQ, 9 June 2018
• Smith went from the right rough on the opening hole to a back bunker and missed a 12-foot par putt.
  — Dallas News, 7 Jan. 2022
• Woods hit eight drives into the left rough and four into the right rough.
  — Randy Youngman, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2018
• The thick rye rough — which Woods hasn’t played out of in 12 months — didn’t cause many problems.
  — Steve Dimeglio, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2018
• Garcia drove into the right rough on the par-5 first hole and bogeyed.
  — Dallas News, 30 May 2021
• Koepka mis-hit a ball out of the green-high rough on 18 into a bunker right in front of him.
  — Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2021
• The left rough awaited him on No. 4 as well, as did a greenside bunker on No. 7.
  — Tim Reynolds, ajc, 27 Feb. 2022
• Ended up being in the rough there and not making birdie there.
  — Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 June 2021
• Playing the sixth hole, Thomas’ tee shot landed in the right rough, where some tree branches blocked his path to the green.
  — John Davis, azcentral, 31 Jan. 2020
• Drama on 17 as his drive caught the right rough, but McIlroy carved it out onto the green.
  — Rob Hodgetts, CNN, 19 July 2019
• Overall, the result was one rough and tumble piece of wood.
  — Marissa Fessenden, Smithsonian, 10 Feb. 2018
• On the drivable par-4 No. 16, for example, his tee shot with a 3-wood went into the right rough.
  — The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Aug. 2020
• That’s where a lot of those guys that shine as diamonds in the rough really come through.
  — Mike Jones, USA TODAY, 15 Aug. 2020
• On Friday, DeChambeau smashed a shot that landed about 20 yards short of its green and just left of the fairway in some high rough.
  — Bill Pennington, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2020
• Schauffele, who birdied the 18th in regulation to force a playoff, had to lay up from the rough near a bunker, and his 12-foot birdie putt stayed just right of the hole.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 4 Nov. 2019
• Woods was busy putting his tee shot in the right rough then being too aggressive with his approach.
  — Michael Rosenberg, SI.com, 14 June 2018
• Champ managed to chip out onto the primary rough, then scoot up the fairway.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2021
• Woods flew his tee shot past the green and into a pit of rough, reaching the green in three before a two-putt for double bogey.
  — The Si Staff, SI.com, 13 June 2019
• At 18, Piercy drove into the right rough and lashed a rescue-club shot that rolled into the left fairway bunker.
  — San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2019
• Just ahead of him, Koepka only parred the hole after driving the rough, and so Woodland walked to the 15th tee with a two-shot lead cushion.
  — San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2019
• Part of the cache cut from the Lesotho Legend, a 910-carat rough, the trio of stones is free of inclusions and exhibits remarkable brilliance.
  — Tanya Dukes, ELLE Decor, 26 Sep. 2022
• Smoltz had four birdies and eight bogeys in a 76. With Del Negro in the middle of the fairway in the playoff, Smoltz hit a low drive behind large trees in the right rough.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2021
• Once a year, golfers should be pushed to their limits in brutal conditions — yes, even on bone-dry greens, in crazy wind and with super-high roughs.
  — Charles Curtis, For The Win, 18 June 2018
• For four straight days, Stricker made quick work of Warren’s bent-grass fairways and greens while staying far from the fescue rough, grown out to 3½ inches in some places.
  — Mike Berardino, Indianapolis Star, 30 June 2019
• Since meeting with Trump, Modi learned that India has hit an economic rough-patch.
  — Nicole Lewis, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2017
• His wedge shot on No. 12, from the right rough, landed on the front of the green, rolled and rolled and rolled … and then disappeared into the hole for eagle, abruptly vaulting Homa one shot behind McNealy.
  — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Sep. 2021
• The woman artist, so often brought in as much as trinket as talent, has been right there, a diamond in the sexist musical rough all along.
  — Danyel Smith, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023

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rough

4 of 4 verb

• He was called for roughing the kicker.
• There were 34 roughing calls through the first three weeks and 19 in the three weeks since the call.
  — Rob Maaddi, The Seattle Times, 16 Oct. 2018
• Use the towel to dry the call quickly and then rough it up again.
  — Jace Bauserman, Outdoor Life, 4 Mar. 2020
• The cop that roughed him up doesn't have the temperament for the job.
  — Maggie Angst, The Mercury News, 23 July 2019
• Last season, when the going to rough against the Bucks in the playoffs, the Heat wilted.
  — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2022
• The 49ers sacked Mahomes four times and roughed him up a few others.
  — Rachel Bachman, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2020
• The 25-year-old rookie was roughed up for three runs on three hits and as many walks.
  — Skip Snow, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, 14 Sep. 2019
• Toss the potatoes around in the pot to rough up their outside layer.
  — Meredith Deeds Special To The Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 24 Mar. 2021
• There’s a nice bit of acidity here and the tannins will rough up the roof of your mouth.
  — Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 7 Dec. 2019
• One trick is to take sandpaper to the bottom of your shoes to rough them up for the snow or ice.
  — Joyann King, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Dec. 2019
• For the dog dad who likes to rough it (or ruff it...), this dog sized sleeping bag is the perfect gift.
  — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 30 May 2021
• Except roughing the passer was called and the Saints kicked a field goal to tie the game and then won it.
  — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, 7 Dec. 2019
• But with Kahani Paradise as your base, there’s no need to rough it.
  — Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2023
• The Rams’ Jared Goff is an even worse option against a Bears defense that roughed him up last year.
  — Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 17 Nov. 2019
• The V60 Cross Country doesn’t ask its occupants to rough it.
  — Jason Fogelson, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2021
• But no way was that one roughing the passer against the Broncos.
  — Andy Nesbitt, For The Win, 15 Sep. 2019
• Von Miller’s roughing-the-passer penalty gave the Jaguars 15 free yards (to their 41).
  — Ryan O’Halloran, The Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2019
• Harvey started for Salt Lake and was roughed up for eight hits and eight runs in 2 2/3 innings.
  — Maria Torres, latimes.com, 8 June 2019
• And when opponents have tried to rough him up, Poole has ignored them.
  — Mark Medina, The Mercury News, 12 July 2019
• But their reimagining of the tune makes it their own, roughing up all the smoothness of the original.
  — Chuck Arnold, Billboard, 9 June 2018
• For: Eco-conscious men looking for a thorough clean that won’t rough their skin up.
  — Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022
• Shane Lee was flagged for roughing Bo Nix on a second-down play early in the fourth quarter.
  — Michael Casagrande | [e-mail], al, 1 Dec. 2019
• Emmett and Brandon, generally the two good guys of this series, go to Reg — the gang chief — to rough up the track coach?
  — Nina Metz, chicagotribune.com, 9 June 2019
• Pomeranz, a former Rockie, has had a bad season and was roughed up in his last start.
  — Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 23 June 2019
• This means that cast members might have to rough it out under the stars at the early stages of the renos, regardless of rain, hail or shine.
  — Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 7 Aug. 2023
• Higuera came through with seven shutout innings while Stanley was roughed up for nine hits and three runs in 4⅔ frames.
  — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2020
• Ariana Grande is ready to rough it in the first video promo peek at her upcoming run as a coach on The Voice.
  — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 27 July 2021
• Despite the isolated setting, guests don’t go there to rough it.
  — John Wogan, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2020
• Then a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Irish another set of downs and 15 free yards.
  — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, 28 Oct. 2019
• Even for those who aren’t keen to rough it, the wildlife and natural beauty are powerful draws.
  — Robert Annis, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2023

Last Updated: 3 May 2024