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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The sugars in the glaze coat the chicken and carrots to create a finger-licking delicious dinner.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025 -
And the Trojans’ defense that came in licking its wounds after allowing 502 yards in a last-gasp loss at Illinois two weeks ago?—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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General view of the Google headquarters in King’s Cross as the tech giant faces a 5 billion pound lawsuit in the UK for allegedly abusing its online search dominance.—
April Roach,Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
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While the record doesn't detail the events of Max's arrest, TMZ reported that the actor was allegedly abusing nitrous oxide before allegedly attacking his mother while livestreaming.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Led by blaring ‘80s synthesizers and a pounding beat, the song features a distorted lead vocal from D’Angelo, who accompanies himself on multitracked backing vocals with the occasional soul shriek thrown in for good measure.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
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John Candy famously took a racquetball to the skull in a key comedic scene from the 1984 film Splash — and fellow actor Tom Hanks recalls that his late costar's head might've been pounding already after Candy spent the night before drinking with Hollywood icon Jack Nicholson.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 2019-20 and 2020-21, just six per cent of throw-ins from the attacking third were sent into the penalty area.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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And, while large-scale armies were attacking one another with a vast arsenal of technological advancements, De Stijl architects and theorists were observing great opportunities for a better world based on this massive scale and these new technologies.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some are found lurking in remote corners of the world, while others have been hiding right under our noses.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
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As a senior Hamas official defended the group’s crackdown on Palestinians in Gaza on Friday in an interview with Reuters, a Gazan lawyer in hiding from the terrorists warned that the killings of the group’s critics are continuing.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 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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What To Know The Philippines' inter-agency National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea on Monday released drone footage showing a Chinese coast guard ship lashing a Philippine boat with its water cannon.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Coastal areas of suburban Long Island could see flooding, with up to 3 inches (about 8 centimeters) of rain and lashing winds expected, the weather service said.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 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 18 Oct. 2025.
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