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
-
When the tiffin is returned licked clean, Ila sends another meal but with a note, leading to a rich correspondence between the two.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026 -
Just outside the room, Hadley eagerly licked it up.—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Moreover, the states often abused their authority, both over their own citizens and with regard to each other.—
Jordan Cash,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
-
And did the court abuse its discretion by imposing the 60-year minimum?—
Tom Olsen,
Twin Cities,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
But only the girls got a look and a kiss with him, while competing men didn't know who was hiding in the back.—
Lily Brown,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
-
The Last Act delves deep into Jax (Michael Kovach), revealing that the bunny has been hiding his true self the entire time.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Rather than attacking all rapidly growing cells, as chemotherapy does, the drug targets a key cancer-driving pathway known as KRAS, which is involved in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
5 June 2026
-
Akindahunsi is accused of attacking several women the night of May 28.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The Israeli military early Thursday pounded Lebanon’s fourth largest city, killing at least 14 people across the south of the country in its ongoing military escalation against the Hezbollah group ahead of crucial talks in Washington.—
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
Fighter jets roared overhead, and air strikes pounded the surrounding hillsides, sending up thick plumes of acrid smoke.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Tovar ambushed Kilian’s first offering, pulling a two-run homer over the left-field fence to hand the Giants their fourth straight loss.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
-
Betts ambushed a belt-high four-seamer into the first row of seats in the left-center bleachers.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
Putin, under pressure, lashing out with increasingly heavy attacks on Ukraine, many hitting civilian sites.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
