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
  • Popo would lick her cone ever so gracefully, never dripping or messing up the lining of her magenta lipstick.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Teams have to be licking their chops after seeing what Tampa Bay did to Dallas last Thursday night, especially considering the defense (or lack thereof) that the Cowboys have shown through five weeks.
    — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • The charges come with additional special allegations, around the victim’s vulnerability and that Tapia abused a trustworthy position.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Early American corporate charters, after all, were granted for limited public purposes and could be revoked when abused.
    — Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • Working in quick, gentle strokes, Abrams used her brush and sprayer to peel away dirt hiding the floral details on Eliza’s grave before moving to the next.
    — Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The subsequent furor is about hiding it from the public and about a brazen plea to keep the Democratic Party and three of its candidates from advertising those facts.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • When Louise would remember the show decades later, the audience was always so electric that the room exploded into stamping feet and pounding fists.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Ukraine briefly halted such attacks, but has since resumed them — while Russia never stopped pounding Ukraine’s energy plants and cities.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • El Salvador President Nayib Bukele is demanding the release of four Salvadoran military personnel ambushed by an armed gang in Haiti, warning that the gangs would face his wrath if the men are not returned alive and unharmed.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The man accused of ambushing two Philadelphia police officers, killing one and wounding another, now faces federal charges.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of ambush
Verb
  • Most of the students were accused of minor offenses, like making threats, using cannabis vapes or lashing out at classmates or teachers, the analysis found.
    — Kristian Hernández, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • More students ages 10 to 13 are ending up in the justice system after vaping, making threats and lashing out at school.
    — Rosie Cima, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lash
Verb
  • However, that doesn’t explain how they were manhandled by the Gamecocks last week.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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 24 Oct. 2026.

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