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

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as in abusing

to abuse physically the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughing (up)

Verb

Baldwin’s post featured a video of the dog licking a cherry ice pop and looking at the rain.

— Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
The licking branch is just as important as the scrape beneath it.

— Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of licking

Verb

At no point did anyone believe that Peyton Manning or SNL espoused abusing kids.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
According to Dutch News, Ben Saunders struggled with health issues and had various run-ins with law enforcement over the years, including a 2016 community service sentence for abusing a traffic official.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

The deaths came amid late-season monsoon storms pounding the Navajo Nation, damaging roads, inundating remote communities and prompting a state of emergency.

— Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
With styles rooted in Texas, Kansas City, North Carolina and Memphis, barbecue often elicits table-pounding opinions.

— Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of pounding

Verb

But the crowd turned violent, attacking Black bystanders and out-of-state reporters, and the students were whisked away in police cars after only three and a half hours of class.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2026
Prosecutors assembled thousands of pages of text messages and emails, obtained bank and flight records, gathered corroborating witnesses, and collected video footage of freak-offs and the damning tape of Combs attacking Ventura.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

Just as O’Malley and Rahill’s work is infatuated with toxic masculinity and fratty hopecore, Bensinger’s is obsessed with sheepish dude-empaths hiding beneath layers of uneasy bravado.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
The pursuit eventually led officers into the forest outside Sacramento, where 44-year-old Derek Spencer held them at bay by hiding and firing from behind a berm until he was shot and killed, authorities said.

— Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of hiding

Verb

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
Ashley Delaney of Polk City, who has served on the district's board since 2024, was charged in May with misdemeanor assault for allegedly manhandling the student.

— William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of manhandling

Verb

These are just two of the many scenes of destruction the hurricane has left in Hawaii after lashing the state’s western islands with heavy rain, widespread flooding and tropical-storm-force winds on Monday and Tuesday.

— Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
This week’s meeting of G20 finance ministers underscored rising global trade tensions, with several countries, including the US, lashing out at China.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of lashing

Verb

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
Gunther slowed the match down, mauling Aldis and sending him flying into the corner.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 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.

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roughing it

roughing (up)

rough it

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Style

“Roughing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughing%20%28up%29. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of roughing (up)

verb

Example Sentences

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