1
as in licks
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in abuses
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 roughs (up)
Verb
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When asked the question, the owl takes the lollipop and licks it three times before chomping down on its hard shell exterior and handing the stick back to the child.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025 -
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Earlier this year, in July 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first implantable VNS device for rheumatoid arthritis, a painful autoimmune disease that attacks the joints.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Popular Science,
25 Sep. 2025
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While Alex is reeling from his discovery, Dwayne attacks him and hauls him away.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fright Night cast him as a magnetic vampire whose polished demeanor hides something far darker.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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The flamingo pink Broward Transitional Center hides in plain sight on a stretch of road in Pompano Beach lined with palm trees and modest commercial buildings.—
Shirsho Dasgupta,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While Harris Reed had more exaggerated bottom lashes and more clustered to the outer wing, lashes at Dreaming Eli were more centered and top-heavy, leaving the bottom lashes natural.—
Essence,
Essence,
23 Sep. 2025
-
His right hand lashes out periodically.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The sudser from Michele Val Jean is up 67% in multiplatform viewership from last year’s time period and beats ABC’s General Hospital by 7% among women 25-54 on broadcast, according to Nielsen.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
26 Sep. 2025
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The five-core GPU in the regular iPhone 17 consistently beats the one in the iPhone Air in our tests, and the Air's GPU occasionally performs more like the Apple A18 from last year's iPhone 16.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Each night the band whips the crowd into a frenzy with their cool, Western romantic harmonies and dance-hall sing-alongs.—
Jonathan Terrell,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
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So the magnetic field has to stay synchronized with the increasing mass of the particle, ramping up in strength as the particle whips around.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
23 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Roughs (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughs%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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