rough out
phrasal verb
roughed out; roughing out; roughs out
: to make (something, such as a drawing or a list) quickly and without including all the details
We'll rough out a general plan.
Examples of rough out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With camp roughed out, the wrangler stayed back to manage details, including supper.
—
Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2025
Your Daytona 500 winner looked rough out West: Less than a week after winning his second consecutive Daytona 500, Hamlin returned to the track for a disappointing performance in Vegas.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2024
In the summer of 1942, Oppenheimer organized a series of secret seminars at Berkeley, where the United States’ top physicists roughed out the outlines of a possible bomb.
—Andy Kifer, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2025
Your Daytona 500 winner looked rough out West: Less than a week after winning his second consecutive Daytona 500, Hamlin returned to the track for a disappointing performance in Vegas.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2024
In the summer of 1942, Oppenheimer organized a series of secret seminars at Berkeley, where the United States’ top physicists roughed out the outlines of a possible bomb.
—Andy Kifer, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“Rough out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough%20out. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share