ROUGH (UP) Synonyms: 133 Similar and Opposite Words

rough (up)

verb

Definition of rough (up)

as in to lick

to strike repeatedly she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Carter is licking his wounds after the rest of the tribe sent Ana home in a blindside.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Typically, only a low-value male resorts to this behavior, turning to foot-licking as the easiest way to ingratiate himself with women.

— Tucker Reals, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of lick

Verb

Macedo wrote a letter to Steve Kawa, the chair of the authority’s board, ahead of the meeting saying that Choudri had misused taxpayer money and abused public trust.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026
There’s a sense in the gut that really gets offended by people who abuse their power.

— Sheelah Kolhatkar, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of abuse

Verb

Extreme tropical weather led to two deaths in Mexico and caused widespread damage over the weekend as Hurricane Simon pounded the country's Pacific coast, authorities said Monday.

— JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Rain pounded Las Vegas, which broke a daily rainfall record Sunday.

— Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of pound

Verb

Jackson Chourio ambushed Blake Snell’s first pitch of the night for a leadoff blast, and Robert Gasser protected the lead with five shutout frames.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Two men are facing kidnapping and robbery charges after allegedly ambushing a buyer during a Facebook Marketplace transaction in Doral.

— Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of ambush

Verb

Over the weekend, Hurricane Simon lashed at the country's Pacific Coast as a Category 4 hurricane.

— Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
Tropical storm-force winds began to lash the Gulf shoreline around midday, hours before Isaias was expected to make landfall between Mobile Bay on the Alabama coast and the city of Destin in the Florida Panhandle.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of lash

Verb

Being manhandled at home by a team with the sport’s sixth-lowest payroll is a negative.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Hours later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the suspension of Acosta’s press pass, and, for good measure, falsely accused him of manhandling the aide who wanted the mike back.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of manhandle

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roughs (up)

rough (up)

rouging

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Style

“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rough (up)

verb

Example Sentences

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