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

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Albertus, another teenage infielder, roughed up pitchers in the Arizona Complex League but has not yet replicated that production after graduating to the next level. —

The Athletic Mlb Staff, The Athletic, 29 July 2024 Some of them roughed up at least one of those critics before attacking a group of migrant workers in a racist assault. —

Paul Stronski, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2015 The Dodgers and the security personnel who work their games have repeatedly been found liable of acting inappropriately after guards roughed up fans, in some cases causing severe injuries. —

Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024 Joo Won Kang perfectly embodies Rocco, Marcellina’s prison guard father, roughing up his enveloping baritone with cranky gruffness whenever it was called for. —

Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rough up