How to Use rough up in a Sentence

rough up

phrasal verb

• Make the hole square instead of round, and rough up the edges.
  — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
• That changes the way guards can rough up Curry on the perimeter.
  — Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025
• Diego Castillo was roughed up for three runs in the seventh inning.
  — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2025
• The Royals, after roughing up Webb, didn’t let up when Spencer Bivins entered to start the fifth.
  — Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 21 May 2025
• They were dyed in a green and blue tint, spun in the tumble dryer, and then roughed up using sandpaper.
  — Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 1 July 2024
• The Trump Gang has really roughed up the staid diplomatic folk of Europe.
  — Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
• However, Chisholm got roughed up sliding into home, and Rice hit for him in the seventh.
  — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2024
• The actor's ears weren't his only body parts roughed up during filming.
  — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2023
• Treinen wasn’t the only reliever to get roughed up in a bullpen that entered with a 13-inning scoreless streak.
  — Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2024
• Caufield had just been roughed up by Tyler Myers — one foot taller and more than 50 pounds heavier — along the end boards deep in the Vancouver zone.
  — Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
• The shotcrete interior looks smooth and water-carved from afar, but is rough up close, the knobbly texture of tree bark.
  — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
• Clayton Kershaw was roughed up for seven runs on Wednesday night in San Diego.
  — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2024
• Mayfield sustained bruised ribs when he was roughed up by safety Tyrann Mathieu late in the fourth quarter.
  — Rick Stroud, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2024
• Sometimes settlers show up and rough up some people, beat them, threaten them.
  — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2023
• The abrasive cleaner can strip the finish, roughing up and damaging the surface.
  — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
• Use your fingers to free up any large circling roots and rough up the root ball as much as possible so the roots will spread into the surrounding soil.
  — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2025
• Some of them roughed up at least one of those critics before attacking a group of migrant workers in a racist assault.
  — Paul Stronski, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2015
• The waves weren't precise or uniform in shape, but rather looked as though they'd been styled with a three-barrel iron, then roughed up and tousled for an undone finish.
  — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024
• After getting roughed up in a blowout loss at Purdue last month, the Wolverines adjusted and reeled off six wins in a row to climb into first place.
  — Austin Meek, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
• The cops then tried to rough up the man in his apartment, but Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) was there to protect him and dole out some brutal, bone-snapping justice.
  — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
• He was roughed up for five runs in one inning at Northeastern May 7, and nine runs in 2 2/3 innings against Xavier earlier.
  — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2024
• The design is crafted from a textured leather that is weather- and scratch-resistant, so consistent use won’t rough up your bag.
  — Megan Schaltegger, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2023
• He got roughed up by the Rangers in his major league debut May 3 and later was sent down to the minors twice before rejoining the Diamondbacks.
  — Brooks Warren, The Courier-Journal, 8 Jan. 2024
• They were roughed up by presidential loyalists and fled Venezuela.
  — Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
• According to news accounts, many were roughed up, and more than 80 were arrested or deported.
  — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
• Nubby quilts warm up the bedrooms, a sultry Soane fabric dresses up a thrift shop–found sofa, and an original soapstone sink rough up the new mudroom.
  — Jennifer Fernandez, Architectural Digest, 20 Jan. 2025
• He’s bullied and roughed up at school, then intentionally gives himself a bloody head injury.
  — Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023
• But on the way out of town, for good measure, his militia looted a local store and roughed up a few locals, residents said, actions that turned much of the community against him.
  — Azam Ahmed, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
• In a physical game, Arsenal's players were shoved and roughed up, while riling the home fans with streetwise tactics that might have pushed the boundaries of gamesmanship.
  — Steve Douglas, ajc, 7 May 2023
• The Indiana transfer who came back from two knee surgeries and two shoulder injuries was roughed up by the Wolverines, limping at times, stepped on another time.
  — Ralph D. Russo, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024