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
The shotcrete interior looks smooth and water-carved from afar, but is rough up close, the knobbly texture of tree bark.
—
Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
The right-hander was roughed up for four runs and four hits in 4 ⅓ innings of a 6-0 Freeway Series exhibition loss to the Angels in Dodger Stadium.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Its durable leather upper can be polished into an elegant shine or roughed up to look a little more relaxed, giving them an entirely different look for the boardroom or for casual wear.
—Olivia Muenter, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Logan Webb struggled through the first inning, but the Giants came back to beat the Brewers 13-8 Tuesday at Scottsdale Stadium by roughing up a familiar face and the NL’s reigning reliever of the year.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024
The man the Angels roughed up is not a migrant and actually lives in the Bronx, according to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.
—Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
The Indiana transfer who came back from two knee surgeries and two shoulder injuries was roughed up by the Wolverines, limping at times, stepped on another time.
—Ralph D. Russo, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
The actor's ears weren't his only body parts roughed up during filming.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2023
The waves weren't precise or uniform in shape, but rather looked as though they'd been styled with a three-barrel iron, then roughed up and tousled for an undone finish.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024
Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
The right-hander was roughed up for four runs and four hits in 4 ⅓ innings of a 6-0 Freeway Series exhibition loss to the Angels in Dodger Stadium.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Its durable leather upper can be polished into an elegant shine or roughed up to look a little more relaxed, giving them an entirely different look for the boardroom or for casual wear.
—Olivia Muenter, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Logan Webb struggled through the first inning, but the Giants came back to beat the Brewers 13-8 Tuesday at Scottsdale Stadium by roughing up a familiar face and the NL’s reigning reliever of the year.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024
The man the Angels roughed up is not a migrant and actually lives in the Bronx, according to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.
—Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
The Indiana transfer who came back from two knee surgeries and two shoulder injuries was roughed up by the Wolverines, limping at times, stepped on another time.
—Ralph D. Russo, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
The actor's ears weren't his only body parts roughed up during filming.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2023
The waves weren't precise or uniform in shape, but rather looked as though they'd been styled with a three-barrel iron, then roughed up and tousled for an undone finish.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rough up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Rough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough%20up. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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