ROUGHHOUSING Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

roughhousing 1 of 2

noun

as in horseplay

wildly playful or mischievous behavior roughhousing was simply part of growing up in a family with four boys

Synonyms & Similar Words

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roughhousing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of roughhouse

as in wrestling

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

as in clowning

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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 roughhousing

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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhousing

Noun

The video depicts a group of students engaged in horseplay, progressing to two 15-year-olds tussling and laughing, according to the suit.

— Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
The undefeated South Dakota Coyotes prowled into Albertsons Stadium this weekend and turned what could have been an evening of horseplay for the Broncos into a dogfight.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of horseplay

Verb

After five shootings in less than a week left at least 46 people dead, South Africa is wrestling with how to tackle a spike in gun crime that threatens to undo recent progress in reducing its notoriously high murder rate.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Related Explore See latest videos, charts and news Set between about 1968 and 1980, McCartney starts on his isolated Scottish farm with his wife, Linda, and growing family, wrestling with what to do with his newfound freedom.

— Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of wrestling

Verb

One reason being that the videographer kept cutting up [a slab of] meat for the castle owner.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2026
Cut the half into thin wedges by making ½-inch slices lengthwise through the onion, cutting up to, but not through, the root end.

— Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of cutting up

Noun

The boys still have room to roughhouse—and even space to set up their Ping-Pong table near the living area.

— Jody Garlock, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2026
This is why some people work nine hours a day, go to the gym, and roughhouse with their kids in the evening, while others already feel tired just thinking about this daily schedule.

— Lieke ten Brummelhuis, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Definition of roughhouse

Verb

Russia has been pummeling Ukrainian cities with near non-stop aerial attacks, taking advantage of Kyiv’s critical shortages of air defense missiles.

— Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
The weather service says some parts of South Florida could see as much as 8 to 10 inches of rain this week, as storms keep pummeling the region with downpours.

— Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of pummeling

Verb

There are certainly fans and pundits who feel that anything short of a title shouldn’t be celebrated in sports, and some who think carousing over anything less is especially beneath the Yankees, who have won 27 World Series but zero since 2009.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of carousing

Noun

Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Indeed, at lunch, instead of separating into groups to eat, all 16 participants form one mega table and spend the half-hour joking and laughing together.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of joking

Verb

Iran has tried to push world energy prices higher with attacks on the region's oil shipping routes; the United States, in turn, has aimed to wreck Iran's economy by blockading its ports since June and slapping it with increasingly tough sanctions.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
The officers walked over to the man and told him to place his hands behind his back, slapping him in cuffs in front of customers and coworkers.

— Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of slapping

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roughhouses

roughhousing

roughing

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“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of roughhousing

noun

verb

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