ROUGHHOUSE Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

roughhouse 1 of 2

noun

ˈrəf-ˌhau̇s

Definition of roughhouse

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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roughhouse

2 of 2

verb

as in to wrestle

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

as in to cut up

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of 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

In the clip, four male golden retriever puppies were roughhousing. — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025 While the attempt is made to laugh this off as the result of some sort of roughhousing with Chelsea, even Chrishell suggests to the camera that there’s a more adult explanation. — Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for roughhouse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhouse

Noun

As expected, Aussies brought the roughhousing.

— Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.

— Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of roughhousing

Verb

Tempers flared late in the fourth quarter when Kings center Dylan Cardwell and Nets guard Egor Demin wrestled for a loose ball.

— Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026
Officials throughout the state have tried to wrestle with the gray area e-bikes occupy — faster than humans strolling on the greenbelt but not quite at the same level as cars and trucks.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 July 2026

Definition of wrestle

Verb

Unusual colorways and short production runs contribute to rarity, and uncut original lengths are prized, since most bolts have been cut up and used.

— Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026
Everything is cut up and put together through chance operations into what Cage called a Musicircus.

— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of cut up

Verb

After reporting Lopez missing last September, Lopez’s daughter told a detective that Yepez had been mistreating her mother at work, the police report said.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
By 1790, half of the world's coffee was being grown in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, in what is today Haiti, Pendergrast says, where slaves were routinely mistreated, raped and murdered.

— James Doubek, NPR, 3 July 2026

Definition of mistreat

Verb

Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Bethany takes the explosive event as a sign to reunite with her old girlfriend Nel (Lena Góra), and carouse across lofts, clubs, and back alleys, leaving her erstwhile partner stranded.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026

Definition of carouse

Noun

When horseplay turns into an impromptu hookup, neither of the young men fight the urge.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026
After France’s 4-3 victory against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, horseplay between the players at the team hotel culminated in back-up centre-back Adil Rami setting off a fire extinguisher in the early hours of the morning.

— Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026

Definition of horseplay

Verb

In the thermal pool, guests lie or sit on underwater hydro-massage beds and seats while lumbar jets pummel the muscles most nicely.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 July 2026
Members of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s NBA Summer League team got pummeled by their Memphis Grizzlies’ counterparts on Saturday evening, falling 111-74 in an opening game in Salt Lake City.

— Latif Love, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026

Definition of pummel

Browse Nearby Words

rough-hewn

roughhouse

roughhoused

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“Roughhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhouse. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of roughhouse

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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