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
  • Last year, Katz filmed a video of his new protégé shucking oysters, chopping wood, swinging kettlebells, and speaking directly to the camera in a muddy sweatshirt about how the oligarchy had screwed their beloved state.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
  • Crushing or chopping garlic activates allicin, its key compound, and fresh ginger provides gingerol.
    — Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 4 July 2026
Definition of chopping
Verb
  • Halty embraces the way Senda Athletics is punching above its weight as a sportswear brand in a tournament full of global brands and stars.
    — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • An impromptu blind date with a handsome rapist ends with Esther punching him square in the nose, his blood gushing through her fingers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • There was briefly some concern earlier this year that Chestnut wouldn’t be able to participate in the 2026 competition after he was arrested for allegedly slapping a man in an Indiana bar.
    — Kyla Guilfoil, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • Chestnut competed in the event while serving a 180-day probation sentence after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from drunkenly slapping a man in an Indiana bar earlier this year.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of slapping
Verb
  • Behested payments make an excellent target for pummeling the presidential contender.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
  • Vargas was among a group of three men being sought for pummeling the cab parked at 36th St and Seventh Ave.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026
Definition of pummeling
Verb
  • Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.
    — Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
  • And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 May 2026
Definition of whacking
Verb
  • Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026
  • Belgium trounced the United States, winning 4-1, knocking the hosts out of the competition.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of knocking
Verb
  • The first mode is a more simple impact detonation — simply put, smacking the asteroid's surface to create a shallow crater, in which a nuclear device is exploded.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 7 July 2026
  • Gill saved the first shot in the penalty shootout against Germany, diving to his left and smacking away the ball headed for the back of the net.
    — Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Definition of smacking
Verb
  • Another hiker survived a grizzly mauling on the popular Grinnell Glacier Trail just weeks later.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
  • Chris Brown was seated at the defense table in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, poised to testify at his dog-mauling trial, when the judge declared a mistrial due to juror misconduct.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 June 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 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on roughing

Nglish: Translation of roughing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All