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

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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)
  1. lick
  2. abuse
  3. hide
  4. attack
  5. pound
  6. ambush
  7. lash
  8. manhandle
Verb
  • Her entire face got licked clean off her head when suburban floodwaters breached the cardboard hull protecting Kath’s basement memorabilia stack a few months before I was born.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • There’s truly nothing like licking that paper lid, then shoveling that tiny tongue depressor into a child-sized serving of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • Reports that federal immigration enforcement agencies have accessed Flock data, dozens of officers have abused the system to stalk women, and police have logged hundreds of searches related to protest activity sparked successive waves of backlash.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, the Children's Trust was used and abused by the Kittrells for exclusively their own purposes and in fact the Kittrells treat the trust assets for nearly all purposes as their own.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • But the takeaway shouldn’t be fear that the US government is hiding the ball.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Pickens County deputies are searching for a suspect caught on camera trying to use branches to hide their identity.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • New arrival Maghnes Akliouche adds another attacking option this summer, while the signing of Lucas Digne from Villa gives this particular fixture an early subplot, with the full-back facing his old club straight out of the gate.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The woman was in the Silver River in Marion County, just south of Gainesville, when she was attacked on the arm on Saturday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Eddie Williams was taking a merciless pounding against her planking as the sodden wreck heaved and rolled.
    — JAMES D. OXLEY, Outdoor Life, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Kelce spent the offseason pounding beers in VIP suites on the Eras Tour, married Taylor Swift in July, and expanded his media empire.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • Whatever subtext is there bubbles to the surface in the next scene, when Bret is ambushed by Debbie’s mother, Liz (Evan Rachel Wood), who is too sloshed to bite her tongue and starts asking after her husband.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In November, a gunman ambushed National Guard troops just blocks from the White House.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambush
Verb
  • The singer also lashed out at her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, on social media.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The president has responded to the MAGA criticism by lashing out repeatedly at dissenters, prompting Greene – once a top Trump supporter – not to run for reelection and Massie to lose his primary.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of lash
Verb
  • His hands and ability to manhandle blockers made him among the best defensive players in the West Valley League.
    — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 31 July 2026
  • 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
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 12 Aug. 2026.

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