roughed (up)

verb

past tense of rough (up)
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)
  1. licked
  2. abused
  3. pounded
  4. attacked
  5. lashed
  6. manhandled
  7. whipped
  8. ambushed
Verb
  • Her entire face got licked clean off her head when suburban floodwaters breached the cardboard hull protecting Kath’s basement memorabilia stack a few months before I was born.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Grande licked one of them, and fans were immediately outraged by the moment.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 16 July 2026
Definition of licked
Verb
  • Booth said Jake Haro physically abused the children after the investigation.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Several years after his arrest, four former students alleged in a civil complaint that Kester abused and groomed them at various times from 1998 to 2021.
    — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of abused
Verb
  • Russia has relentlessly pounded civilian areas of Ukraine, even though Moscow insists its forces target only military facilities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Chivilli got especially pounded, surrendering three home runs.
    — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of pounded
Verb
  • Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Israel attacked the country in February.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Yemen’s Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi shipping last month, attacked Saudi oil tankers this week, and are threatening to impose tolls, adding urgency to securing the waterway.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • Beijing lashed out, restricting vital commerce and the flow of Chinese tourists on which Japan – the world’s fourth-largest economy – depends.
    — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026
  • Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the CNN White House correspondent, and her colleagues have defended her against him.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
Definition of lashed
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
Definition of manhandled
Verb
  • In 2017, the object flew into our solar system, whipped around the sun like a comet, and flew back out.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The blaze raged through pine forests and scrubland through the weekend, whipped by gale force winds that often prevented water-dropping planes from operating.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipped
Verb
  • On the day Tran was ambushed, the vehicle circled the area 16 times before the shooting, according to investigators.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Tae-ha, who is in Japan on business for Sang-gil, is ambushed by a bunch of men.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambushed
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

roughed it
roughed (up)
roughen
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roughed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughed%20%28up%29. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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