as in horseplay
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
roughhousing was simply part of growing up in a family with four boys
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as in wrestling
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as in clowning
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhousing
Noun
-
But what had once been raucous and raunchy mischief, was now benign horseplay.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025 -
Your impatience with Bruno Tonioli’s horseplay was missed, lady!—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Nip that sentiment in the bud by taking them out the following August for a few days of hauling fertilizer, picking rocks, wrestling farm implements, and driving tractors over unseen wasp nests.—
The Editors,
Outdoor Life,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The most surprising ghost story of the season isn’t horror at all, but rather the story of one of America’s great artists wrestling spirits and trying to contain them on a cassette, which serves as its own kind of sacred vessel.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Self was in a joking mood when asked about the squad’s stellar defensive play.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Jones eventually got into his joking bag, and Bleek took that opportunity to seriously set the record straight one last time.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some moments he was transfixed by Sendak’s illustrations, particularly one of a rabbit, under one of Jack’s spells, pummeling the nameless dog; at others by the nature of Jack’s transformation.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Millions of Americans could face impacts from severe weather this weekend and into next week as a strong storm works its way across the nation after pummeling California with heavy snow and rain.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This is why some people work nine hours a day, go to the gym, and roughhouse with their kids in the evening, while others already feel tired just thinking about this daily schedule.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
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
Verb
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At one point, Ginger is seen repeatedly slapping Jesse’s behind.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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He's also accused of slapping a nearby female passenger and trying to hit a crew member.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The administration has been accused of trying to start a new war and abusing military power by foreign and domestic leaders.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In a complaint filed in 2023, Gannett and the other plaintiffs accused Google of violating federal antitrust laws by abusing its dominant position to control and profit from the technology used by publishers to buy and sell ads across the internet.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ford is planning on cutting up to 1,000 roles in electric-vehicle production in Germany.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Proposition 50 would turn back the clock of progress, cutting up our neighborhoods for political gain and silencing the very voices that fought hardest for fairness.—
Bernadette Suarez,
Oc Register,
15 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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