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
-
Just outside the room, Hadley eagerly licked it up.—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026 -
Just outside the room, Hadley eagerly licked it up.—
Laura Ungar,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Crooks have learned how to abuse them, steal them and trick people into handing them over.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
-
What is perhaps most troubling is the actions of some to abuse their access to privileged and confidential information to mispresent facts, manipulate situations and selectively use and leak that information to promote personal agendas.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
If not too bad, it can be ignored and new growth should hide the blemishes.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2026
-
Buddy was hiding in the bushes on the side of a desolate highway when he was found by a good Samaritan and brought to a rescue.—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
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The same man later attacked former Olympian Kim Glass in 2022, which prompted Lee to speak out.—
The Editorial Board,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
The officer who allegedly was attacked suffered minor injuries, Morton said.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The Israeli military early Thursday pounded Lebanon’s fourth largest city, killing at least 14 people across the south of the country in its ongoing military escalation against the Hezbollah group ahead of crucial talks in Washington.—
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
Fighter jets roared overhead, and air strikes pounded the surrounding hillsides, sending up thick plumes of acrid smoke.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Tovar ambushed Kilian’s first offering, pulling a two-run homer over the left-field fence to hand the Giants their fourth straight loss.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
-
Betts ambushed a belt-high four-seamer into the first row of seats in the left-center bleachers.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
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This torturous ordeal marked Mee’s first time entering this cave, located in the foothills of a mining project near the village of Long Tieng, hours away from the nearest cities and on muddy roads that have been lashed by the rainy season.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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Putin is lashing out by intensifying assaults on civilian targets, especially in the capital city of Kyiv.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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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 5 Jun. 2026.
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