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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
  • That body, established in 2017 in response to the crimes of Larry Nassar, the Michigan physician who serially abused young gymnasts, can investigate misconduct, including nonsexual misconduct, in any Olympic sport.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Two other people claimed to have been abused by the artist during their childhood, according to Libération, but are also not included in the case headed to trial because the incidents took place too far in the past.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of abused
Verb
  • The chicken is pounded thin before cooking and, at Le Flâneur, is served with Picholine olives, tomato, arugula, and Parmesan.
    — Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Russian overnight strikes also pounded western Ukraine, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounded
Verb
  • On her second set point chance, Sabalenka attacked hard down the middle.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Fresh off a recent campaign visit to Michigan, Vance above all aimed at Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, who the vice president has attacked aggressively for invoking his wife, Usha Vance, on the campaign trail.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • Every night, after Jesus died on the cross, my apostles gently helped me down from the chain-link fence to which I had been lashed.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • After the two additional deaths were reported this week, Shapiro again lashed out at Kennedy.
    — Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of lashed
Verb
  • The Falcons’ veteran offensive line was manhandled by Pittsburgh’s front seven.
    — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Valley View won its first game but was manhandled by Searcy last week.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of manhandled
Verb
  • 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
  • And that daring move seemed to set the tone for the rest of the night, as Kansas City whipped the reigning AFC West champions 31-10.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of whipped
Verb
  • 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
  • Belle and Cal were ambushed in the finale and shot at by gunmen who were later revealed to be hired by Tom Wheeler, and the episode ended without confirming either of their fates.
    — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 2 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 18 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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