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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Rahm is a more tame thrill ride who should be licking his chops at a venue like this, but could succumb to the conditions and never recover.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026 -
Monitor pets for behavioral changes, as pets may experience pain, licking or chewing at a wound, loss of appetite and lethargy.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Verb
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According to Variety and Puck, the film was originally set to dramatize Jackson being accused of abusing 13‑year‑old Jordan Chandler in 1993.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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The lawsuit, filed in December, claims that the Litchfield Middle School failed to act on a complaint from the 1980s that Driscoll was allegedly abusing students before Fitterer and Bird were middle school students in the 1990s.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Joseph, Nomkhitha and the children stood silently around the dining-room table, trying to calm their pounding hearts; the littlest ones shivered from the cold and fear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
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Eight miles down the road, Ragsdale’s friend and Alva’s former ESL teacher Lisa Weinstein woke up to pounding at her door.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Verb
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After the good Samaritan got him off the woman, witnesses say the man wandered to produce and began attacking a 16-year-old boy, but Garbe had followed him.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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After coming close on numerous attacking opportunities in the first, the Real Madrid star put England ahead for the good in the opening moments of the second.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Resourceful and determined to remain unseen, Becky is hiding deep in the woods while planning her own escape.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Consider, too, that another longtime passion of Swift’s is hiding in plain sight.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
18 June 2026
Verb
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But this year’s edition could be the best one yet, and the Wolverines will get a chance to prove that next week in Indianapolis after manhandling Tennessee 95-62 yesterday at the United Center to clinch a spot in the Final Four.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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The Illini literally soaked in the celebration Thursday night after manhandling hometown favorite Houston to advance to the Elite 8 for the second time in three years.—
Ryan Baker,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hurricane Fiona pummeled Puerto Rico in September 2022 as a Category 1 storm, lashing once more a power grid that hadn’t been rebuilt from Hurricane Maria.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
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Lately, though, the president has upset religious conservatives by posting a Christ-like image of himself online as well as lashing out at Pope Leo and the Vatican.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Another hiker survived a grizzly mauling on the popular Grinnell Glacier Trail just weeks later.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
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Throw in the signing of dual threat quarterback Malik Willis with the drafting of mauling offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor as well as Will Kacmarek, arguably the best blocking tight end of the 2026 class, and all signs point to the Dolphins having an elite rushing attack for quite some time.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
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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 19 Jun. 2026.
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