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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The dog ignored him, and licked the boy’s face.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026 -
At Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, the oldest carving factory in America, a team of former archaeologists and butchers creates ephemeral art designed to be licked, touched, and eventually, lost.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now that Democrats have control and have adopted a similar playbook, Republicans accuse them of abusing their power.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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Women who had experienced economic abuse from an intimate partner were significantly more likely to commit suicide than other abused women whose cases the report analysed.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Over the past year, assaults against ICE personnel have risen 8,000%, according to the DHS, and federal police have opted to hide their faces and identities while working in public.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Mar. 2026
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An East Price Hill man is accused of hiding in wait before fatally shooting a woman at an Avondale apartment building, according to Cincinnati police.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Iranian drones attacked its exclave of Nakhchivan and damaged an airport building.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
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But threats from Iran to attack any ships in the region outweigh the promises of support.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Glass removed violins from the orchestra to achieve a dark, primordial orchestral sound along with pounding percussion.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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In the past 24 hours, Israel conducted more strikes against Hezbollah in Beirut and continues to pound Tehran.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lucca van der Woude approached Plaintiff from behind to ambush and digitally penetrate him.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
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Talk shows continued to invite her, often in order to ambush her.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And yet, Trump has also managed to avoid complex questions about those issues — the most pressing before his administration — and despite Democrats and some of his own supporters lashing out over them.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Noem and her chief adviser Corey Lewandowski -- who is reportedly also departing DHS -- both had a knack for lashing out, yelling and berating staff that crossed them, according to sources.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lee had been caught on video back in 2017 shouting at a woman who was reportedly his girlfriend, manhandling her and calling her names, in a confrontation allegedly broken up by a teammate.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Social media served up a daily video deluge of heavily armed agents randomly manhandling dark-skinned people.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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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 12 Mar. 2026.
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