rough up
phrasal verb
roughed up; roughing up; roughs up
informal
: to hit and hurt (someone)
The prisoner claimed that he was roughed up by the guards.
Examples of rough up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bills quarterback Josh Allen had to check out after being roughed up on a play.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Nov. 2025
The Senators were on the penalty kill because Kurtis MacDermid roughed up Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc while trying to fight him, as retribution for his hitting Jake Sanderson.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The American weather model projects the nor’easter will stay slightly farther offshore and run a bit farther north, limiting the number of days the storm roughs up the Southeast coast, but bringing more rain, wind and choppy seas to the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Be careful when using anything abrasive, which can strip paint or rough up high-gloss surfaces.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
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Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Nov. 2025
The Senators were on the penalty kill because Kurtis MacDermid roughed up Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc while trying to fight him, as retribution for his hitting Jake Sanderson.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The American weather model projects the nor’easter will stay slightly farther offshore and run a bit farther north, limiting the number of days the storm roughs up the Southeast coast, but bringing more rain, wind and choppy seas to the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Be careful when using anything abrasive, which can strip paint or rough up high-gloss surfaces.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
Cite this Entry
“Rough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough%20up. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
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