1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to abuse
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 rough (up)
Verb
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Being licked by the cows and licking them back is a daily occurrence for her.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025 -
Evy was holding an ice cream cone and lowered it so Kinley could lick it.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Authorities subsequently found that the boy and Ruby's 10-year-old daughter had been seriously abused.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Kevin Franke, the father of the children abused by Hildebrandt and his ex-wife, has advocated for more oversight of life coaches since the two women were sent to prison.—
Jessica Schreifels,
ProPublica,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The ancient springhead, natural waterpark, and retro roadside attraction has more than a few secrets hidden in its eelgrass.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
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That event presented an opportunity that was too good to pass up: the chance to explore the seafloor below the iceberg’s original location—like overturning a rock or log in the woods to see what creatures lie hidden underneath.—
Ashley Balzer Vigil,
Scientific American,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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By the way, it was attacked from the Pentagon and from the White House as being fake news that this was going to happen and Elon Musk denounced the leak.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2025
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This was a departure from Mourinho and Conte, who both moaned about investment, attacked the club culture, exited unceremoniously, and bad-mouthed them afterward.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Schumer has taken a public pounding from his party's base, not to mention House Democrats, since voting to keep the government open last week.—
Stephen Neukam,
Axios,
19 Mar. 2025
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Dangerous, heavy rain pounded the Los Angeles area early Thursday, bringing a threat of flooding and debris flow to spots impacted by the recent devastating wildfires.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The large sleek lions hunt alone, ambushing their prey with their curved retractile claws from behind and killing with a bite to the skull.—
Brianna Taylor,
Sacramento Bee,
14 Mar. 2025
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The suspect drove away in a white pickup truck and ambushed another officer who was driving on West Margarita Street, south of the original crime scene, Bryan said.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In early March, tropical storm Alfred battered Australia’s heavily populated east coast, lashing the region with damaging winds and heavy rain for several days as hundreds of thousands of homes in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales lost power.—
Edward Szekeres and Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
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However, Cabello lashed out at U.S. authorities, accusing them of unjustly detaining and deporting Venezuelans under false claims of gang affiliations.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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He was accused of manhandling Mitts during a heated debate about Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city, by blocking her from entering the City Council chambers.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
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That was clinched when the Sun Devils manhandled Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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