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

After getting roughed up in a blowout loss at Purdue last month, the Wolverines adjusted and reeled off six wins in a row to climb into first place. —Austin Meek, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025

That changes the way guards can rough up Curry on the perimeter. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2025

Nubby quilts warm up the bedrooms, a sultry Soane fabric dresses up a thrift shop–found sofa, and an original soapstone sink rough up the new mudroom. —Jennifer Fernandez, Architectural Digest, 20 Jan. 2025

Already, there are signs that Democrats will use those confirmation hearings to rough up some of the nominees on their qualifications and Trump’s plans alike. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for rough up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup