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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In the video, the mother dog stays close to her pup, licking him and standing over him protectively.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025 -
While her Nickelodeon and Disney peers have seemingly all had at least one major scandal to their names (ranging from incessant twerking and licking unpurchased donuts to near-fatal overdoses), Palmer’s celebrity was, in part, defined by her lack of verifiable scandals.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
25 June 2025
Verb
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But even more terrifying than the guard dogs were those abused by local miscreants that trained dogs to fight.—
Thomas Cangelosi,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2025
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In other words, don’t count on class actions to rein in Administrations bent on abusing the law.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The palette is a unique blend of pink, tan, and hints of blue-green that add a subtle amount of color while still hiding dirt and debris.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
26 June 2025
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Weathered and bumpy, the wall hidden among the surplus clothing stores of the Fashion District was hardly the perfect canvas.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
Verb
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This infection attacks your stomach lining and causes inflammation.—
Sayaka Blickenderfer,
Health,
28 June 2025
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The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
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The left-hander got pounded a year ago and thumped again in his first taste of big-league action for eight runs in five innings against the Washington Nationals.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
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Kamala Harris pounded Joe Biden over his stances on busing from the 1970s—a long-ago dispute that even became fodder for J.D. Vance in 2024.—
Andrew Yang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
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After ambushing a group of pink guards in the quarters, the rebels, armed with guns, made their way to the colorful stairwells.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
People.com,
27 June 2025
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When young Litha is introduced to the magic of a game reserve by the last remaining ranger, they are ambushed by poachers.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
25 June 2025
Verb
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In one particularly jarring example, under threat of being unplugged, Anthropic’s latest creation Claude 4 lashed back by blackmailing an engineer and threatened to reveal an extramarital affair.—
Thomas Urbain,
Fortune,
29 June 2025
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The president also lashed out at economists who predicted his administration’s tariffs could cause a recession.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Anyone who has seen the video knows that he was fully handcuffed after having been manhandled to the ground.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
12 June 2025
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Federal agents manhandled him out of the room, shoved him down onto his knees and handcuffed him.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 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 9 Jul. 2025.
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