ROUGHING (UP) Synonyms: 135 Similar and Opposite Words

roughing (up)

verb

present participle of rough (up)

as in licking

to strike repeatedly she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

That’s not exactly chump change, considering Atlanta was still licking its wounds after the Great Depression.

— Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
After contracting the plague, he was banished to a cave, where a dog brought him bread and healed his wounds by licking them.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of licking

Verb

Separately, the Texas House impeached him in 2023 on charges of bribery, corruption, and abusing his office.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
The actor’s ex-husband Olivier Martinez was granted the order earlier this month after accusing the star of physically abusing their teenage son.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

At the bottom of the slope, dozens of protective barriers have been installed as a buffer from waves pounding the shoreline.

— Michele Gile, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
When defenses do catch up, McQuillan — like her teammates — have the green light to keep pounding away.

— Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of pounding

Verb

Hawley said the majority of conflicts between humans and coyotes occurs when a pet owner tries to save their pet from an attacking coyote.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026
Washington Examiner economics columnist Tiana Lowe Doescher slammed Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed for refusing to denounce a controversial ad attacking Israel.

— Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

President Barack Obama had gathered his advisors to assess intelligence that indicated Osama Bin Laden was hiding in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

— Keren Yarhi-Milo, Time, 8 Nov. 2026
San Diego professes pride in high graduation rates, but this is a chimera hiding the sad truth of how far our educational leaders will go to look good.

— U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of hiding

Verb

An Osceola County deputy sheriff was arrested this week, accused of manhandling a 67-year-old woman and falsely charging her with battering him during an early-morning traffic stop, the Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.

— Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Hours later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the suspension of Acosta’s press pass, and, for good measure, falsely accused him of manhandling the aide who wanted the mike back.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of manhandling

Verb

Most of the students were accused of minor offenses, like making threats, using cannabis vapes or lashing out at classmates or teachers, the analysis found.

— Kristian Hernández, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
More students ages 10 to 13 are ending up in the justice system after vaping, making threats and lashing out at school.

— Rosie Cima, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of lashing

Verb

At the time, Guilfoyle was an assistant DA in San Francisco prosecuting a high-profile dog-mauling case and making the rounds on cable news.

— Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
While the left guard competition remains open, Jones has been on the first string for over a week since replacing Connor Colby, and Jones stood out with an aggressive, mauling nature against the Titans.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 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

roughing it

roughing (up)

rough it

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Roughing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughing%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of roughing (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

wabi-sabi

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes