roughing

verb

present participle of rough
as in chopping

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughing
  1. chopping
  2. punching
  3. slapping
  4. pummeling
  5. whacking
  6. knocking
  7. smacking
  8. mauling
Verb
  • Pre-cut produce has quietly become a grocery store staple, saving time for busy families and making fresh food easier to manage for anyone who finds chopping a chore.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The result of hours of chopping, searing, and mixing is our second annual Gear of the Year list.
    — Editors of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of chopping
Verb
  • The footage also allegedly showed Bomfim punching the baby in the back of his head with a closed fist.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Moton lingered on the turf for a while, punching the turf in pain and dread, before a cart came out to transport him to the locker room.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • Jamie Love is swaying, slapping a hand against her thigh to keep time, and mouthing along to the music that plays from a set of portable speakers.
    — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Teens say a traffic altercation with former Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant escalated in Southlake, where video shows Bryant slapping a phone out of a teen's hand.
    — Erin Jones, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Democrats are more than happy to draw those connections, pummeling their Republican rivals for standing by a president who is unpopular with so many voters.
    — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The key will be credibly signaling that critical Russian military and economic assets will be at risk if Russian forces continue pummeling Ukraine’s civilian economy and society.
    — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pummeling
Verb
  • In fact, Abdi recommends against mowing and weed whacking near tree roots in general.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 1 Nov. 2026
  • There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of whacking
Verb
  • The alleged assault on restaurant employees Investigators said Gonzalez ambushed the employee, repeatedly punching him in the face with closed fists, knocking him to the ground, and continuing to strike him.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The firefighter responded by knocking Brown out with a metal bar.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • But Varma and Shivam Dube (27) upped the ante in the final three overs by smacking 57 runs against Sufyan Moqim, Ayub and Ahmed Daniyal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Carrington was ejected from the game in the first half after smacking Cunningham across the face during Cunningham's layup attempt.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • At the time, Guilfoyle was an assistant DA in San Francisco prosecuting a high-profile dog-mauling case and making the rounds on cable news.
    — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
  • While the left guard competition remains open, Jones has been on the first string for over a week since replacing Connor Colby, and Jones stood out with an aggressive, mauling nature against the Titans.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of mauling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

roughhousing
roughing
roughing it
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughing. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of quondam

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All