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
-
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
-
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.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Dennis tries to hug Roman, but Roman attacks him, punching him multiple times before leaving the hotel room.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
-
After Wednesday disables the machine with an axe, Isaac’s ability no longer works, and Thing attacks him.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The fog may roll in, but the coastline never hides for long.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Maddie hides her binging and purging from Deena and Jake, lying about being pregnant to distract her husband from what’s really going on.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Then, there’s the one about the two Asian guys who are harnessed to a chariot and made to pull it along, like horses, with bits in their mouths, while this other Asian guy, holding the reins, lashes them with a whip.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Usually, when one partner lashes out, the other responds in kind.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Energy beats calendars for creative work Smart creators work with their natural rhythms.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Yes, Meursault is a bit toxic with his indifference, then one beats his wife, the other beats his dog.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To accomplish this, Barton turned to the fundamental dance technique of spotting, where the dancer finds a focal point in front of them and whips their head around to hold that focus spot and keep themself centered.—
Oliver Sava,
Vulture,
28 Aug. 2025
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Wind whips both the sound waves and temperatures around, so bring a blanket even if it’s not forecast to rain or hail.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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