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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
  • Baldwin’s post featured a video of the dog licking a cherry ice pop and looking at the rain.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Therefore, scrapes without a licking branch aren’t repeatedly visited and re-used by the local deer herd.
    — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • Look what women can do when they’re not abused, oppressed, and angry about being abused and oppressed!
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Ultimately, the show attempts to draw a parallel between Lizzie Borden and Aileen Wuornos, portraying them as two women abused and mistreated by society who dared to fight back.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • To her, there was nothing about the real Beck that seemed necessary to hide.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Angelenos also should ensure the lids of their trash bins are closed and block any places around their homes where fleas can enter or hide.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • Qatar and Oman have also been attacked by Iranian drones and missiles.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Fire grows after manhunt keeps crews out The Mineral Fire grew to 18 acres by Monday morning after the armed manhunt prevented firefighters from attacking it for hours.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • People who get sick typically develop a sudden high fever along with a pounding headache, pain behind the eyes and deep aches in the muscles, joints and bones.
    — Andrés Henao, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Usually the bar is a rowdy reprieve filled with sweaty bodies and pounding bass lines, with Lo situated behind the DJ decks.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • Investigators later determined the shooting happened in the area of Pontiac Lake Road and Summit Drive, where the four men were ambushed by several other men armed with assault rifles.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The same 1-2 punch that ambushed Cambridge with 52 points in the Dave Hunter + Corky Kell Classic beat South Gwinnett on Friday 55-20.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of ambush
Verb
  • Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms -- insulting them in briefings, or in his recent speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Bigelow’s complaint highlights instances where Toro is alleged to lash out.
    — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of lash
Verb
  • He was brought to the prison infirmary, where numerous guards surrounded, punched, kicked, choked, dropped and manhandled him.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Accurso manhandles the omelet, layering the salad on top before folding it in half.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2026.

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