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
According to news accounts, many were roughed up, and more than 80 were arrested or deported.
—
Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
In another incident last month, a gang of suspects dressed up like NYPD officers, stormed into a store in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, roughed up the workers and robbed them.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
The abrasive cleaner can strip the finish, roughing up and damaging the surface.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
Now everyone thinks Hector is a cop killer, and he’s getting roughed up by the NYPD as well as guards and inmates alike at Rikers.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
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Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
In another incident last month, a gang of suspects dressed up like NYPD officers, stormed into a store in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, roughed up the workers and robbed them.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025
The abrasive cleaner can strip the finish, roughing up and damaging the surface.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
Now everyone thinks Hector is a cop killer, and he’s getting roughed up by the NYPD as well as guards and inmates alike at Rikers.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Mar. 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 16 May. 2025.
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