rough up
phrasal verb
roughed up; roughing up; roughs up
informal
: to hit and hurt (someone)
The prisoner claimed that he was roughed up by the guards.
Examples of rough up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Europeans butt in: the British took over India; nobody ever managed to take over China, but China got roughed up by the imperialists.
—
David Remnick, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025
The Trump Gang has really roughed up the staid diplomatic folk of Europe.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
The cops then tried to rough up the man in his apartment, but Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) was there to protect him and dole out some brutal, bone-snapping justice.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Crystal does an opening film, again all about him perhaps not doing the show and getting roughed up by the cops in L.A. Confidential, auditioning for The Full Monty etc., etc.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
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David Remnick, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025
The Trump Gang has really roughed up the staid diplomatic folk of Europe.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
The cops then tried to rough up the man in his apartment, but Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) was there to protect him and dole out some brutal, bone-snapping justice.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Crystal does an opening film, again all about him perhaps not doing the show and getting roughed up by the cops in L.A. Confidential, auditioning for The Full Monty etc., etc.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
Cite this Entry
“Rough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough%20up. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
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