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
  • Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers.
    — Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of licked
Verb
  • Or to feel that no one with the power to do something cares that you were abused.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Leo was to meet with seven survivors later Sunday, including one who was abused as an adult, in recognition of the new frontier of the abuse crisis facing the church.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of abused
Verb
  • Moscow's forces pounded apartment buildings, offices, gas stations and data centers, among other targets.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The nor’easter that pounded North Carolina’s Outer Banks has turned the majestic sand dunes into death traps, coastal experts say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounded
Verb
  • The two bears had been involved in an incident in which two of Grazer’s 2024 cubs were attacked by Chunk after falling over a waterfall.
    — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Soon after, Anthropic revealed that its own stress testers attacked three companies too.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • The worst of the deadly nor'easter that's lashed the Northeast is behind us, and Monday will feature minor impacts as the storm winds down.
    — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin lashed out at Judge Judy’s remarks about unhappy Americans.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of lashed
Verb
  • He was brought to the prison infirmary, where numerous guards surrounded, punched, kicked, choked, dropped and manhandled him.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Not only did the offense look poor against the New York Jets on Sunday but the defensive line got manhandled by the Jets offensive line.
    — Austin Mock, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of manhandled
Verb
  • After learning that Manchester whipped Maggie with a cat-o’-nine-tails, Lizzie agrees to help the Borden family’s maid kill her.
    — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • That sort of whipped, inswinging ball from Slater that caused so much havoc is hugely familiar to avid Premier League watchers.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipped
Verb
  • Investigators later determined the shooting happened in the area of Pontiac Lake Road and Summit Drive, where the four men were ambushed by several other men armed with assault rifles.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The same 1-2 punch that ambushed Cambridge with 52 points in the Dave Hunter + Corky Kell Classic beat South Gwinnett on Friday 55-20.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 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
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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 2 Oct. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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