roughhouse

1 of 2

noun

rough·​house ˈrəf-ˌhau̇s 

: violence or rough boisterous play

roughhouse

2 of 2

verb

rough·​house ˈrəf-ˌhau̇s 

-ˌhau̇z

roughhoused; roughhousing

transitive verb

: to treat in a boisterously rough manner

in the yard, roughhousing the kids

intransitive verb

: to engage in roughhouse

The kids were roughhousing in the family room.

Synonyms of roughhouse

Noun

• roughhousing
• joking
• horseplay
• clowning
• funning
• monkeying
• tomfoolery
• buffoonery
• skylarking
• playfulness

Examples of roughhouse in a Sentence

Noun

their parents simply wouldn't tolerate any roughhouse in the living room

Verb

The kids were roughhousing in the living room.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This is why some people work nine hours a day, go to the gym, and roughhouse with their kids in the evening, while others already feel tired just thinking about this daily schedule. —Lieke Ten Brummelhuis, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

This makes the roughhouse ballet a satisfying bridge to the final scene in Roberta’s room, where their vulnerabilities are revealed. —Peter Marks, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023

Verb

Some surfers roughhoused in the sand. —Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025

In the clip, four male golden retriever puppies were roughhousing. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1882, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1898, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for roughhouse

• alehouse
• almshouse
• backhouse
• baghouse
• bakehouse
• bathhouse
• bauhaus
• blockhouse
• boathouse
• brewhouse
• bunkhouse
• clubhouse

Kids Definition

roughhouse

1 of 2 noun

rough·​house ˈrəf-ˌhau̇s 

: violence or rough noisy play

roughhouse

2 of 2 verb

rough·​house -ˌhau̇s 

-ˌhau̇z

roughhoused; roughhousing

: to take part in roughhouse