1
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in abusing
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 roughing (up)
Verb
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Jared Harris is the best movie John ever, licking his lips and sucking his teeth; Aidan Quinn is the best movie Paul.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2025 -
Boston, Cleveland, and New York are licking their chops, ready to feast on a Bucks team missing its point guard, its bench leader, and its identity.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But the unhappy ending is especially head-pounding for Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Mar. 2025
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Queen finished with a team-best 17 points, but Maryland frequently settled for outside jumpers instead of pounding the ball inside to Queen and Julian Reese.—
Lindsay Schnell,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities recently launched a campaign attacking the governor for allowing the state’s overreliance on property taxes to worsen and for seeking to slash summer work programs that assist the state’s troubled youths.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2025
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He is not known for playing attacking football, which was cited as a contributing factor behind Moyes’ departure.—
Roshane Thomas,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Davis standing alongside Withers struck me as a classy gesture, and Withers answering for his mistake rather than hiding from the media was another.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Mar. 2025
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But over the past two terms of the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these vendors were accused of hiding their identity, of pretending to be Hindu.—
Ismat Ara,
TIME,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Ruby, overwhelmed by the changes, began lashing out.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
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Ruby, overwhelmed by the changes, began lashing out.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The president’s ability to declassify information has been invoked when presidents have been accused of mishandling secrets.—
David Klepper,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2025
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Typically, federal prosecutions for mishandling sensitive national defense information target other types of conduct such as an intentional leak.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Elle was also seen whipping her hands in a circle to the music during the awards ceremony.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
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This instant camera captures little moments and big occasions on film, which feels a little more special than whipping out an iPhone.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Authorities initially said a 4-year-old girl doing laundry with her mother and a 30-year-old man died.—
Compiled by Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports,
arkansasonline.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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The user manual will provide this information, as well as guidance on how to open the fan, if doing so is permissible.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Roughing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughing%20%28up%29. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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