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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Food stands also debuted that year, with ribs sizzling along with the blues licks.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
9 June 2026 -
At one point in a dinner scene, Shields' Erika licks Joey's fingers.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Verb
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New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
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People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Teams go bonkers when the player pounds their school name on the bracket.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 June 2026
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Rain pounds down in a stinging curtain.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
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In a 1998 study published in Toxicon, researchers revealed that the inland taipan’s venom comprises a sophisticated mix of biologically active compounds, each of which attacks multiple physiological systems simultaneously.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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The bodycam footage shows Rivas swimming across the water before an alligator gives chase and attacks him.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Achieving it in reality would be brutally hard because the target moves, hides, jams, uses decoys, and fights back.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
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Namely, the Bavarian flag hides a red Nazi flag, and someone also covered up soldiers, Nazi salutes by passersby, and wreaths on the Mahnmal der Bewegung monument.—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The retrospection tortures her.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Harris also shows us the burn scars that ripple up Racine’s arm and across Anaia’s face, textured skin that makes strangers blanch, to which Racine lashes out defensively.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2026
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Continue reading … LATE-NIGHT LAMENT — Colbert lashes out at CBS, says cancellation ‘reinforced a narrative’ of ‘knee bending’ to Trump.—
,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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All seems lost when a group of Stormtroopers ambushes the crew, but IG-11 heroically sacrifices himself to save them.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
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Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
29 Nov. 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 16 Jun. 2026.
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