rough-and-tumble

1 of 2

noun

rough-and-tum·​ble ˌrə-fən-ˈtəm-bəl 

: rough disorderly unrestrained fighting or struggling

also : infighting

rough-and-tumble

2 of 2

adjective

1

: marked by rough-and-tumble

… grew up in a rough-and-tumble atmosphere …

—E. J. Kahn, Jr.

also : rough-and-ready

2

: put together haphazardly : makeshift

a rough-and-tumble fence

Synonyms of rough-and-tumble

Noun

• brawl

Adjective

• rough
• clumsy
• crude
• rude
• rough-and-ready
• primitive

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 Web

Noun

The series’ blend of soapy melodramatics and rough-and-tumble underworld menace will be familiar to anybody who has watched Power, but Power and its spinoffs have always been confident in their only-for-adults depictions of adults-only situations. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

In an email to fellow members of Levine Cava’s senior staff on June 2, Morales seemed to be rallying the administration for a rough-and-tumble push to win County Commission approval of the deal. — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 28 July 2026

Adjective

The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling. — Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1810, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rough-and-tumble

• bumble
• crumble
• fumble
• grumble
• humble
• jumble
• mumble
• rumble
• stumble
• tumble
• umbel