roughneck

noun

rough·neck | \ˈrəf-ˌnek

Definition of roughneck

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a rough or uncouth person

b : rowdy, tough

2 : a worker of an oil-well-drilling crew other than the driller

roughneck

adjective

Definition of roughneck (Entry 2 of 2)

: having the characteristics of or suitable for a roughneck

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about roughneck

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Examples of roughneck in a Sentence

Noun

a town overrun by roughnecks a group of roughnecks like to hang out at the roadhouse and harass people

Adjective

their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Like many cities at this time, Baltimore had its share of roughnecks, pick pockets, petty thieves, charlatans and card sharks. — John Wilmerding, WSJ, "A Winning Group of Cheaters," 28 Sep. 2018 Ninth-century Britain is a battleground of invading roughneck Vikings and the devoutly Christian Anglo-Saxons trying to hold them off. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "The Last Kingdom," 21 Nov. 2018 Three years later, the hill and 2 square miles of the surrounding plains incorporated as the city of Signal Hill, a settlement of roughnecks and wildcatters, an oil boomtown during the time when California produced a quarter of the world’s oil. — Scott Garner, latimes.com, "Neighborhood Spotlight: Signal Hill keeps progress in view without blocking out its oil town past," 22 June 2018 There are fewer roughnecks, as my old landlord had warned, to trash the place. — Longreads, "Life on the Oil Frontier," 23 Apr. 2018 Later, Dollens worked as a roughneck in the oil fields. — Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, "The Teachers’ Strike and the Democratic Revival in Oklahoma," 4 June 2017 Somebody’s oil worker boyfriend might trash the place; indeed, the last round of roughnecks already have. — Longreads, "Life on the Oil Frontier," 23 Apr. 2018 Until recently, the energy industry was mostly associated with roughnecks, gushing greasy dirty oil, and centralized electricity distribution systems. — Tsvetana Paraskova, USA TODAY, "Blockchain technology is contributing to big digital disruption in energy sector," 16 Oct. 2017 When the reverend's rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren's reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid. — Shirley Macfarland, cleveland.com, "Dancing musical will benefit Broadview Heights Human Services programs: Talk of the Towns," 13 Oct. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Overwatch’s latest short focused on McCree, the game’s popular, roughneck cowboy character. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "Blizzard’s stunning cinematics stole the show at BlizzCon 2018," 2 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roughneck.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.