rough (up)

verb

Definition of rough (up)next
1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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)
  1. lick
  2. abuse
  3. hide
  4. attack
  5. pound
  6. ambush
  7. lash
  8. manhandle
Verb
  • As flames licked at the fabric and smoke curled toward the ceiling, an overcapacity crowd of more than 1,800 panicked, rushing for the exits and jamming against doors that opened inward.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
  • Signs paws have already been burned include limping, refusing to walk, licking or chewing feet, darker or damaged pads and visible blisters or redness.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • OpenAI says its threat reports draw on its view of how actors try to abuse AI models, often in combination with other platforms and tools.
    — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Four people represented by the ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit in May accusing the task force of abusing the law to block them from documenting officers’ actions, sometimes ordering them to stay more than 100 feet away from arrest scenes.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • Designers now hide microwaves in drawers, pantries, or built-ins for a cleaner look.
    — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 14 July 2026
  • Thus, the light of much larger and brighter red dwarf stars is incredibly effective at hiding white dwarfs.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • Spain’s front men are difficult to ignore Despite only one attacking return, Lamine Yamal ($10m) is still Spain’s most exciting fantasy option.
    — Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • The tourist who was attacked by a bison on Friday at Yellowstone National Park is recovering after being flung into the air.
    — Zoe Cummings, Washington Post, 13 July 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Video shows the moment the roof collapsed at a BJ’s Wholesale Club in New Jersey as heavy rain pounded the state.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 July 2026
  • The second reason was that his sinking, two-seam fastball was getting pounded.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • In the suit, Ibrahim alleges that he was lured to the gym under the pretense of a challenge and was ambushed by Watson, a co-owner of the gym and two other men.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • The facility hosts a memorial for past police horses and former Officer Tara O’Sullivan, who was ambushed and killed when responding to a domestic violence incident in 2019.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of ambush
Verb
  • Three players cordon off opponents at the far edge of the six-yard box, which gives Trusty the time to take a touch and lash the ball home from close range.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • The sun lashed everyone who arrived — some voluntarily, others hooked and lowered like cattle into the mines.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of lash
Verb
  • 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
Definition of manhandle
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.

Browse Nearby Words

roughs (up)
rough (up)
rouging
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All