1
as in licked
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in abused
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 roughed (up)
Verb
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Some even licked the candy to soften it -- a trick used by contestants in the show.—
Hakyung Kate Lee,
ABC News,
17 Oct. 2025 -
Napkins were crumpled; plates were licked.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The suit alleges that Ham abused her repeatedly over a number of years, and that defendants knew of the abuse, but instead chose to prioritize reputational and financial interests over her safety.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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Canty, a former special agent in charge of the SBI’s Charlotte region office, resigned from the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office in November 2024 and issued a letter then alleging that McFadden abused his powers.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Celtics pounded the paint with Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, a pair of bruising bigs who also can force the issue from 3-point range despite their lumbering dispositions.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Trump seems to have arrived, on his own, at the same understanding of geography and politics that was pounded into the heads of Soviet schoolchildren, including Putin and me.—
M. Gessen,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crabtree stopped, turned, attacked the ball and snagged it.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Nelson claimed to police that the man attacked her and their son after opening the car door.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Picking sweet Julie mangoes from the big tree in the front yard of my childhood home; going to the beach where my late brother tried (and failed) to teach me to swim; visiting relatives during the summer in the very areas that were now being lashed by rain and wind.—
Grace White,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
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Vargas floated groups of migrants across the informal border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico on a makeshift raft made from wooden boards lashed to fat inner tubes.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Workers described incidents of verbal and physical abuse, including reports from women workers who said they had been manhandled and subjected to obscene remarks and threats.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Vancouver completely manhandled a similarly representative Flames lineup, ultimately winning 8-1.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cherry already has a soft spot for Biancani, never mind the grueling conditioning, including countless hours of running that whipped the Hornets into shape.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Ovechkin gathered the puck on his forehand, quickly turned it over to his backhand and whipped it into the net.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In 2010, while covering an event in Lara, a western state that has long been a government stronghold, he and several fellow journalists were ambushed by a mob of militants loyal to the regime.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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And after a Washington woman was repeatedly ambushed by an owl while walking in the woods near her house in 2022, biologists report that the occurrence is becoming more frequent.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
3 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Roughed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughed%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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