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
-
The spotless streets are polished nightly by the feet of families licking ice cream.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026 -
The dog ignored him, and licked the boy’s face.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The three men claimed that the two-time Academy Award-winning star abused them at times between 2000 and 2013.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Animals deserve to be protected and cherished, never abused or neglected.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Justin Cappos, a professor of computer science at New York University, who studies software supply-chain security, likens the attack to a typewriter hiding a second message in plain sight.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
21 Mar. 2026
-
As a main guideline, think about ribcage jeans as an opportunity to actually showcase your waist rather than hiding it.—
Dino Bonačić,
Glamour,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The American always had the engine and work rate to flit between defensive and attacking duties in a central midfield berth.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Santos and Langdon both attack things pretty head on.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Earlier, heavy snow pounded the Northeast and Nebraska saw its worst wildfires ever.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Everybody is pounding their chest about the Lakers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jackson ambushed him in the middle of the street on Marcus Garvey Blvd.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Is Irene going to ambush Leaphorn, Manuelito, and Shaw, or just follow them around all day?—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many Banksy fans mourned the loss of the mystery and lashed out at the news outlet.—
Laurie Kellman,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Key European alliances in Germany, France and the United Kingdom all publicly rebuffed the president's demand for help securing critical passage of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the president to lash out at his allies and make escalatory threats against Iran.—
Justin Fishel,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
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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Cite this Entry
“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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