rough-and-tum·ble
ˌrə-fən-ˈtəm-bəl 
: rough disorderly unrestrained fighting or struggling
also
: infighting
1
: marked by rough-and-tumble
grew up in a rough-and-tumble atmosphere—
E. J. Kahn
E. J. Kahn
also
: rough-and-ready
2
: put together haphazardly : makeshift
a rough-and-tumble fence
Synonyms
Examples of rough-and-tumble in a Sentence
Noun
a rough-and-tumble broke out among the fans in the stands
Adjective
the announcement of his candidacy was made from a rough-and-tumble stage put together just that morning
Recent Examples on the WebCody Musselman, The Conversation, 19 June 2024
Erdogan, who hails from a rough-and-tumble neighborhood of Istanbul, has both an innate sense of what makes average Turks tick and an oddly instrumental view of democracy.
—Steven A. Cook, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2013
Stephen Groves, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023
The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble 
Noun
Oil culture pairs the idea of divine favor with an insistence on rough-and-tumble endurance, similar to hockey.
—Cody Musselman, The Conversation, 19 June 2024
Erdogan, who hails from a rough-and-tumble neighborhood of Istanbul, has both an innate sense of what makes average Turks tick and an oddly instrumental view of democracy.
—Steven A. Cook, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2013
Adjective
The trappings of the Senate were another world from Mr. Abourezk’s rough-and-tumble childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, where his Lebanese parents had immigrated and ran a general store.
—Stephen Groves, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023
The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rough-and-tumble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rough-and-tumble
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough-and-tumble. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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