as in rough
hastily or roughly constructed
the announcement of his candidacy was made from a rough-and-tumble stage put together just that morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
a rough-and-tumble broke out among the fans in the stands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of rough-and-tumble
Stephen Groves, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023
The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
Josh Holder, New York Times, 26 July 2024
The other players on the leaderboard were born in the 1800s, back when baseball was rough-and-tumble and somehow every player came with a gloriously fanciful Dickensian backstory.
—Daniel Brown, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble 
Adjective
The trappings of the Senate were another world from Mr. Abourezk’s rough-and-tumble childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, where his Lebanese parents had immigrated and ran a general store.
—Stephen Groves, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023
The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
Noun
That is especially true in parliamentary democracies, where political party leaders are de facto candidates, engaging in the daily rough-and-tumble of governing and becoming well known to voters before a single campaign sign goes up.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 26 July 2024
The other players on the leaderboard were born in the 1800s, back when baseball was rough-and-tumble and somehow every player came with a gloriously fanciful Dickensian backstory.
—Daniel Brown, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-tumble
Adjective
-
Reed, who was challenged by Hurley after his stretch of rough outings, ripped an offensive rebound from the arms of Butler’s Pierre Brooks five minutes in and finished a layup.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Piñeiro should have a decent market, despite having a rough second half of the season.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Trump's comments inspired some Jan. 6 defendants to ask judges for delays in court action, spurred some to lobby for reprieves, demoralized some police officers injured in the attack and threatened a political brawl over the potential for turning loose people convicted of seditious conspiracy.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Guida’s epic brawl with Diego Sanchez on the Ultimate Fighter Season 9 Finale was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
In a moment when Liston was hurling a clumsy punch and his balance was susceptible, Ali threw what looked like a swiping right graze at his opponent’s head.—
Mikal Gilmore,
Rolling Stone,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Even observers who think the outlook for China’s economy is less dire agree that its growth is slowing and will be constrained by structural challenges and a clumsy policymaking process.—
Jude Blanchette,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
At stake in the clash with rival Buffalo Bills is a trip to the Super Bowl and a bid for a historic Super Bowl three-peat for the Chiefs.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the Bruins are flying high after a 2-0 shutout win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, and with a strong defensive showing and reliable goaltending, Boston will look to carry that momentum into Saturday's clash.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The Unity is a crude oil tanker that is 245.07 meters (approximately 804 feet) long and 42 meters (approximately 137 feet) wide, according to MarineTraffic.com.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
-
Immediately following Trump’s remarks, crude oil prices turned lower.—
Dan Mangan,Christina Wilkie,
CNBC,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The Joella deluge begins when Lana calls her out at the beginning of the episode for being rude during Untucked about her song.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2025
-
To chastise you for attending to his mistake and then act as though your laundry were now tainted is rude and hypocritical.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Their rough-and-ready vérité shooting style creates an intimacy with the subject that deepens the emotional response to music that for many of us is ingrained in our DNA.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Nov. 2024
-
James meets rough-and-ready cowboy Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) upon arrival in Fort Worth and joins his wagon train heading West.—
Rendy Jones,
EW.com,
9 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Thesaurus Entries Near rough-and-tumble
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-tumble. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share