Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughing
Verb
-
The blow further inflamed Webster, who raised his flagpole into the air and swung it down repeatedly in a chopping motion, hitting the barricade with a loud clang.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026 -
Filling dinner soup with little effort except chopping.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Over the course of the novel, each Flynn girl is suspended from school at least once for some screwball infraction, including spreading conspiratorial theories about covert surveillance operations in town, punching another kid in the face, and preparing to commit an act of domestic terrorism.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Violence has become an increasing concern, with reports of patients punching and kicking nurses; in November, a gunman threatened to shoot up the Mount Sinai emergency department.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mimicking what happened seven years earlier after the Dallas playoff win in Charlotte, the players ran back outside and took a lap around the stadium, slapping hands with delirious home fans.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
-
That means not just the sound of rubber slapping the pavement or the whir of electric motors—the soundtrack of a Formula E race—but something new and artificial or, more generously, bespoke.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Three days after pummeling UCLA, 48-29, on the glass (including 20-5 on offensive boards), the Terps were on the receiving end of a clobbering as USC dominated, 35-24.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2026
-
In a matter of eight days, the Hornets (14-26) have gone from pummeling the defending champion in Oklahoma City to losing consecutive games at home to Toronto and Indiana in gut-wrenching fashion to recording the largest margin of victory on the road in franchise history by pounding Utah.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
-
The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Guido followed him around like a puppy, from the very first day, always knocking on his door.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Video footage from the protest showed officers swinging batons and knocking demonstrators to the ground.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And the good vibes of those wins quickly dissolved with Toronto smacking them around in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Malika was now smacking the rug in rhythm.—
Joan Silber,
New Yorker,
30 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Or left tackle Theo Benedet pulling into the open field in Cincinnati, sprinting well beyond the line of scrimmage, starting his block on Geno Stone 4 yards from the sideline, then mauling the Bengals safety within inches of a bench.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
City enters Week 2 of the new campaign as Premier League leader after mauling its way to a 4-0 win over Wolves on opening weekend.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Roughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughing. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
