as in roughhousing
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
their parents simply wouldn't tolerate any roughhouse in the living room
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to wrestle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of roughhouse
Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2023
Brazil’s team, a double defending champion, had been eliminated in the group stage in the 1966 championship in England, with Pelé literally kicked out of the tournament by the roughhouse play of Brazil’s opponents.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2022
Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2024
These inflatable body bumpers do just that while also ensuring that kiddos don’t get hurt while roughhousing in the backyard, park, or beach.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Noun
Geno lost his composure at the end of the game, picked up a T, then critiqued South Carolina’s roughhouse style.
—Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2023
Brazil’s team, a double defending champion, had been eliminated in the group stage in the 1966 championship in England, with Pelé literally kicked out of the tournament by the roughhouse play of Brazil’s opponents.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2022
Verb
There were nights spent roughhousing at the fire station, maybe engaging in a pillow fight or two.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2024
These inflatable body bumpers do just that while also ensuring that kiddos don’t get hurt while roughhousing in the backyard, park, or beach.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhouse
Noun
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The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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The actor shared rare photos of the teen with his younger siblings, getting it in at the gym, hiking, and roughhousing.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The question is whether leaders are willing to use them not as stages, but as workshops for ideas, as places to wrestle honestly with the hardest questions and decisions of our time.—
Alan H.H. Fleischmann,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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Freedom wrestled without two starters but still managed to score its first FHSAA duals wrestling state quarterfinal victory against Wellington on Friday.—
Steve Gorches,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Her voice is intimate and resonant, whether cut up into indistinct background flurries or pushed to the front of the mix.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
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Such a potato is cut up into sections, each having a sprout or two.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Written in a joking and contemptuous tone, the tweet would take on an indescribably morbid weight just five days later, when, at the behest of Governor Cláudio Castro, the Rio de Janeiro police carried out the deadliest massacre in the country’s history.—
Evandro Cruz Silva,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
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Cole follows up with a joking request to appear on an interlude on the forthcoming project, then asks whether West could send him a care package of clothes — which West agrees to — before exiting the stage.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Several cases involve force and abuse The AP’s review found a pattern of charges involving ICE employees and contractors who mistreated vulnerable people in their care.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Rafah border crossing, meant to support the ceasefire, has seen minimal passage and reports of Palestinians being interrogated and mistreated.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But that doesn’t add much beyond three crusty Báthory ancestors carousing drunkenly in their coffins.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
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When Hedda and Eileen were wild together, Eileen’s drinking and carousing was a problem, but she’s put all that wickedness behind her, mostly thanks to the love of Thea Clifton (a delicate Imogen Poots), who has also just arrived at the mansion for the world’s worst party.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Yet this is truly an ensemble show, in which each performer has multiple opportunities to shine, executing some splendidly silly bits together, such as delivering CPR to a sandwich or convincingly channeling their inner tots during some post-bedtime horseplay.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
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There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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There's one brief inning for each team, which its batters spend trying to pummel the ball clean out of the park time and time again.—
Samanth Subramanian,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Feb. 2026
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Many of his song lyrics criticize the ineffective response by the government in Puerto Rico to crises like the hurricanes that have pummeled the island and caused island-wide blackouts in recent years.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Roughhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhouse. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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