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)
Verb
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In fact, the mischievous pup led his owner directly to the scene of the crime by licking his lips constantly, which seemed awfully curious.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025 -
Bear 856 is also a large, male brown bear, who is easily identifiable to park rangers due to the animal's unusual habit of licking his lips — a behavior not typically observed in brown bears.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The biggest controversy surrounding Flock Safety centers around allegations that law enforcement agencies have abused the company's technology to target women, immigrants and people engaged in activity.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
5 Oct. 2025
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Ed Gein later told investigators he and his brother were abused by his father, who died in 1940 of heart failure.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In addition to being faster and scalable, fiber doesn’t hide metals worth extracting and reselling.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
7 Oct. 2025
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Turns out, Kelce was hiding more than just nerves.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gunmen attacked the Nova Music Festival and Kibbutz Be’eri, among other targets.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
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Chiefs edge rusher George Karlaftis is capable of lining up on both sides, and Spagnuolo should look to exploit what could be a vulnerable area to attack the Lions’ front.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The service itself pulsed with sound with horns blaring, drums pounding and voices rising in song.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
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Diego Morales Morales pounded pavement over the 12-month period, racking up $10,116 in fuel expenses alone traveling to various counties for meetings and events.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Last month, three officers were killed when they were ambushed while responding to a domestic call in York County, Pennsylvania.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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In September 1986, Pinochet’s motorcade was ambushed and five soldiers were killed and many others injured.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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How much the reader should sympathize with Lisa—whether the character whom Harwicz has created is more aptly seen as a wronged person lashing out or as a more lucid villain—also feels unresolved.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
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Bill Burr is lashing out at critics for slamming his appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Workers described incidents of verbal and physical abuse, including reports from women workers who said they had been manhandled and subjected to obscene remarks and threats.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
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Vancouver completely manhandled a similarly representative Flames lineup, ultimately winning 8-1.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 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 10 Oct. 2025.
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