1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
-
The flames licked at the neighborhood’s outskirts, toasting a few leaves at the perimeter, but didn’t damage a single residence in the community.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2025 -
As Ferrell resumed singing with Johansson, Kardashian and Gasteyer, Wiig proceeded to lick Dooneese’s tiny hands and stroke Johansson’s face, tap on one of Gasteyer’s breasts and pretend to play the drums on Kardashian’s butt.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The suit alleged Combs raped, drugged and physically abused her, the latter claim being supported by a 2016 hotel video obtained and released by CNN last year of the music producer dragging and hitting the singer.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
-
While fentanyl is not widely abused in Mexico, methamphetamine addiction is commonplace.—
Greg Wehner,
Fox News,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Alongside Marvel movie veterans Wesley Snipes as Blade and Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Tatum plays Gambit as a hero hiding in The Void, waiting for his chance to strike at the sadistic Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Sen both understood Oberon’s desire to hide a secret and recognized a trace of her South Asian accent.—
Carolyn Kellogg,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The case, which generated headlines around the world, comes amid rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the U.S. since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.—
Sophia Tareen and Melissa Perez Winder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Despite losing all three, there were significant improvements collectively and individually, with contributions from attacking starlets Nico Paz, who scored against Atalanta, and Diao, who got the equaliser against Juventus.—
David Ferrini,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Musk pounded his chest and raised his right arm in an angular motion while giving his speech.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
-
That involved Shorrock and a few others pounding posts in the ground, putting up heavy metal fencing and twisting metal ties together.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The rapper was ambushed while taking a shower and the robbers sought cash along with expensive jewelry.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
24 Feb. 2025
-
They are ambushed by a vengeful crew and forced into bomb vests, compelled to commit a series of increasingly dangerous missions under threat of detonation.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Mr. Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy, accusing him of duping the U.S. into providing billions in aid to Ukraine and misusing it.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, lashed out at the Trump administration for leaving him out of the talks.—
German Lopez,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
After manhandling the Atlanta Braves last year, the Washington Nationals earned the respect of the opposing manager.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Additionally, the Chiefs need to rebuild an offensive line that was manhandled by Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 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.
Cite this Entry
“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share