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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as in wrestling
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as in clowning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Noun
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
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Those dousings also prompted outrage from police leaders — who decried it as an inexcusable sign of disrespect, and even suggested that officers willing to walk away from that kind of horseplay should consider another line of work.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Now, she’s poised to join Batavia’s Sydney Perry as the only four-time girls wrestling state champion in state history.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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Stories such as hers continue to pop up in the state as the pool of girls wrestling talent consistently grows wider and deeper.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The women’s team declined their joking invitation and had to explain comments directed at them.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hadel responded by punching Brown twice, sending him pummeling towards the ground, hitting his head on the pavement and lying motionless on the pavement.—
Mathew Schumer,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
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Jaylen Brown missed his seventh game of the season Monday in Milwaukee, sitting out with what the team called an illness on the second night of a back-to-back, and Boston won easily, pummeling the Bucks 108-81.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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This makes the roughhouse ballet a satisfying bridge to the final scene in Roberta’s room, where their vulnerabilities are revealed.—
Peter Marks,
Washington Post,
14 Nov. 2023
Verb
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Itoje was sin-binned in the 64th for illegally slapping the ball in a maul and 13 men were playing Italy's 15.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
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As opposed to slapping a host of aerodynamic elements on there, Xiaomi's designers integrated the aerodynamics into the car's shape itself.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now that Democrats have control and have adopted a similar playbook, Republicans accuse them of abusing their power.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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Chloe Johnson, 25, was caught on camera abusing several infants at a day care in Blaine, Minnesota.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, as all of this is happening, Meredith is cutting up with the other ladies at the spa, without a care in the world.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
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Ford is planning on cutting up to 1,000 roles in electric-vehicle production in Germany.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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