as in horseplay
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
roughhousing was simply part of growing up in a family with four boys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in wrestling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clowning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhousing
Noun
-
And yes, there were cases on public roads where the horseplay turned dangerous.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
22 Jan. 2025 -
On my gondola, however, horseplay is not only encouraged, it is required.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside Online,
24 Sep. 2024
Verb
-
That’s an impressive feat given there was almost two hours without wrestling on a three-hour show.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Tonight's broadcast promises an exciting lineup of special guests, including John Cena, who will officially retire from wrestling this year, along with Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
This makes the roughhouse ballet a satisfying bridge to the final scene in Roberta’s room, where their vulnerabilities are revealed.—
Peter Marks,
Washington Post,
14 Nov. 2023
-
Weighing between eight and 10 pounds, these pooches are not ideal for young kids who tend to roughhouse.—
Country Living,
Country Living,
1 May 2023
Noun
-
If humans can use emotional tomfoolery to prevail over AI, there is a certain kind of endearing fulfillment in doing so.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
-
Aside from those two couple moments, Turner's post also included plenty of tomfoolery with friends and documented some of her travels — from skiing in January to an October trip to an ancient temple in Egypt.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
There are no gilded gates here, but there is one heck of a party, complete with serenading busts, ballroom dancers, excitable opera singers, drunken buffoonery and portraits locked in an endless duel.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
-
What’s so special about Britain’s patron wanker of bighearted buffoonery?—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The film's slapstick comedy and script launched the career of screenwriters Peter and Bobby Farrelly, displayed Daniels' range as an actor and established Carrey as a box office draw.—
Brendan Le,
People.com,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Strap-on dildos are often tools of slapstick humor on TV or around the internet — as Broad City or And Just Like That viewers can vouch — and often the joke relies on the difficulty or cumbersome nature of using one.—
Sofia Barrett-Ibarria,
Them,
8 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Thesaurus Entries Near roughhousing
Cite this Entry
“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share