1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to abuse
to abuse physically
the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough (up)
Verb
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During a bedtime conversation between Kaz and Caesar, for example, their dog keeps licking Caesar as Kaz tries to have a serious talk with him.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
25 Sep. 2025 -
Posted to the account @maisythemarshmallow on September 19, the video shows the dog, named Maisy, lying calmly as the cat snuggles up and licks her face.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Far from abusing its discretion, the district court has exercised care and restraint in managing discovery, affording 'careful consideration' to the government's assertion of privilege.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
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However, last week, the Civilian Complaint Review Board voted to overrule the investigator who found Alongi and Cianfrocco innocent, finding the pair of officers in violation of using excessive force and abusing their authority.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fairfax County Public Schools has been accused of hiding the allegations.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Sep. 2025
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Water, despite its familiarity, still hides phases and behaviors waiting to be uncovered.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her ex and his friends attacked him with a baseball bat and tried to shove him in a washing machine at one of his dad’s laundromats.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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As the first crews began attacking the fire from inside the building, other crews were called in to make sure no one was inside.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Now, MacLachlan, who lives in North Carolina, is pounding the pavement with a grassroots campaign to garner industry attention.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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The affidavit also stated that Brimmer somehow managed to outrun Suresh and made it to a neighbor's house, where the victim began pounding on the garage until he was let into the home.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And in July – not far from the Dallas field office, at an ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas – attackers used fireworks to draw out ICE agents and ambush them.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
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Upon booting up the game and working through a pretty robust character creator, players arrive in Lumiose City and are immediately ambushed by a content creator/social media manager working for the corporation Quasartico, Inc.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At least 12 people died as heavy rain lashed the eastern Indian city of Kolkata and surrounding areas ahead of a major festival, flooding streets, disrupting transport and leaving residents stranded for hours, officials said Wednesday.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 Sep. 2025
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Heavy rain advisories remain in place for much of the northern Philippines as Ragasa’s outer bands continue to lash the country, with further risks of flooding and landslides possible in Luzon.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But even with Mizzou being able to do what it’s been doing — manhandling the trenches and milking the clock — the results were somewhat spoiled.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
21 Sep. 2025
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The Pats got manhandled by Mother Nature and the Dolphins over a 20-7 loss played out under 90-degree temperatures.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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