1
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in abusing
to abuse physically
the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughing (up)
Verb
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During a bedtime conversation between Kaz and Caesar, for example, their dog keeps licking Caesar as Kaz tries to have a serious talk with him.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
25 Sep. 2025 -
Astro came up to Mars and immediately sniffed him and then started licking him.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Miller was accused of abusing three infants in her care at The Lawrence School in 2021 and 2022.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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The Department of Labor is also opening investigations into companies the agency says are abusing the system.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If the full release can continue to generate oddly pulse-pounding moments like the near-death rooftop fight with an evil-eyed Pikachu, then Z-A might be worth an extended stay in Lumiose.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
-
My heart was pounding, like pounding.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The positioning of Palace’s six attacking players inside the penalty area is another one.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Republicans were nearly unanimous about the danger of Democrats attacking ICE.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Then, in the early 2010s, fracking and horizontal drilling technology unlocked the deposits hiding in the shale bed and unleashed vast wealth that went beyond the county residents’ wildest dreams.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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The former high school football player who killed four people inside a Manhattan office tower that houses the headquarters of the NFL, and who blamed the league for hiding the dangers of brain injuries, was suffering from the degenerative brain disease CTE, a city medical examiner said Friday.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But even with Mizzou being able to do what it’s been doing — manhandling the trenches and milking the clock — the results were somewhat spoiled.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
21 Sep. 2025
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San Francisco tackle Williams is 6-foot-5 and 320, and has been manhandling NFL linemen since Hufanga was a boy running around his parents’ farm in Oregon.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Hammoud and some on City Council have faced criticism for angrily lashing out at critics during council meetings and other public events.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
22 Sep. 2025
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But now that the moment is here, Israel is lashing out.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Roughing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughing%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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