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
Recent Examples on the WebAnn Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Much of life’s most important action takes the form of talk, but Hollywood sees things differently and, as usual, will be filling the screen with rough-and-tumble adventure in a range of genres.
—The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024
Dutcher, Pitino, Medved, Alford and Miles all played or coached in the Big Ten, historically a rough-and-tumble, walk-it-up, grind-it-out, pound-it-inside league.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024
But why would these rough-and-tumble teenagers suddenly break into song?
—Melena Ryzik Adali Schell, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
The movie introduced fans to a rough-and-tumble baseball team that was welcoming a new member to their crew, building a rivalry with a ferocious dog, and looking for love poolside.
—EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024
The world’s a rough-and-tumble place, and it’s always been thus.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024
In fact, democracy is a pretty rough-and-tumble system of government, and voters sometimes demand that government step back.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
But the finish on this generally faithful retelling is very much the grit of today’s rough-and-tumble action movies, our foursome’s star wattage beaming out from under cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc’s earthy palette and costume designer Thierry Delettre’s muddied threads.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2023
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
Noun
All of them hark back to a rowdy, rough-and-tumble time when movies were content to be vessels of visceral wish fulfillment and mindless, instantly disposable escapism.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Much of life’s most important action takes the form of talk, but Hollywood sees things differently and, as usual, will be filling the screen with rough-and-tumble adventure in a range of genres.
—The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024
Dutcher, Pitino, Medved, Alford and Miles all played or coached in the Big Ten, historically a rough-and-tumble, walk-it-up, grind-it-out, pound-it-inside league.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024
But why would these rough-and-tumble teenagers suddenly break into song?
—Melena Ryzik Adali Schell, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
The movie introduced fans to a rough-and-tumble baseball team that was welcoming a new member to their crew, building a rivalry with a ferocious dog, and looking for love poolside.
—EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024
The world’s a rough-and-tumble place, and it’s always been thus.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024
In fact, democracy is a pretty rough-and-tumble system of government, and voters sometimes demand that government step back.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
But the finish on this generally faithful retelling is very much the grit of today’s rough-and-tumble action movies, our foursome’s star wattage beaming out from under cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc’s earthy palette and costume designer Thierry Delettre’s muddied threads.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2023
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
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 20 Apr. 2024.
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