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

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roughhousing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of roughhouse
1
as in wrestling

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Dissimilar Words
2
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
  1. horseplay
  2. wrestling
  3. cutting up
  4. joking
  5. pummeling
  6. carousing
  7. roughhouse
  8. slapping
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
  • Every court now wrestling with preemption is really wrestling with that silence, and silence, at this volume, is a decision someone will eventually have to make out loud.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Democrats voting in primaries this month in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota are wrestling with a question that has divided the party going back at least to 2016.
    — Tamara Keith, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrestling
Verb
  • Using unseen footage from Presley’s 1969 to 1976 Las Vegas residency, the movie plays the hits – plus The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – but also showcases his sense of humor, quipping with crowds and cutting up with bandmates.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 June 2026
  • Always cutting up and making memories.
    — Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Definition of cutting up
Noun
  • Back in December 1968, Dolan wrote a joking column about the earlier Lake Worth monster, from way back in 1947.
    — Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
  • Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
Definition of joking
Verb
  • Ukraine is ratcheting up the tempo of drone strikes pummeling Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014.
    — Brady Africk, Washington Post, 20 July 2026
  • That work was far from done when a new round of storms began pummeling the state this week, triggering catastrophic flash floods in some of the same areas devastated in 2025.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of pummeling
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
  • The team were meek in defeat, but after a weekend carousing and communing in central London, Newcastle fans arrived at Wembley with a collective hangover.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Definition of carousing
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
  • This one is a badass soldier/leader, who can’t stop slapping Stuart, Kripke and Bert.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • The Congolese drum, a traditional instrument of the Luba people, makes a sound akin to the hand slapping skin.
    — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of slapping

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Cite this Entry

“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of roughhousing for Spanish Speakers

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