as in roughhousing
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
their parents simply wouldn't tolerate any roughhouse in the living room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to wrestle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cut up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 roughhouse
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2021
Chewy orecchiette roughhouse with big hunks of sausage and broccolini, enrobed in a rich goat cheese fonduta.
—Dominic Armato, azcentral, 16 July 2019
Sandy West, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2023
In another, my son roughhoused with friends and Buddy attacked.
—Michelle Madden, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Noun
Phil bitterly watches from a distance while his fellow cowhands roughhouse, bathe together and chase prostitutes at a local saloon.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2021
Chewy orecchiette roughhouse with big hunks of sausage and broccolini, enrobed in a rich goat cheese fonduta.
—Dominic Armato, azcentral, 16 July 2019
Verb
Raised on her family’s farm in conservative Nebraska in the 1960s and ’70s, Ashley Swartz took her cues about life from her surroundings: At home, the men worked the farm; elsewhere, boys roughhoused and participated in sports; at church, there was good and there was evil.
—Sandy West, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2023
In another, my son roughhoused with friends and Buddy attacked.
—Michelle Madden, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhouse
Verb
-
Drought breakers With a fourth-place finish in Class 2A at 215 pounds, senior Genesis Ward became Evergreen Park’s first boys wrestling state medalist since 1996.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Two men wrestled three large timpani drums up the steps to the space before the altar.—
Thomas Curwen,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
By sector, technology suffered the worst, with job cuts up 128 percent on-month to 7,488, followed by automotive (123 percent), services (106 percent), retail (96 percent), and media and news (27 percent).—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
-
In the frying process, those odd crumbles can be cut up in a casual manner with a spatula.—
Cathy Thomas,
Orange County Register,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Having two more women from the production allegedly claim they were likewise mistreated by the director could push the saga from being perceived as a bitter feud into literal #MeToo territory.—
Pamela McClintock,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Feb. 2025
-
The passengers survive a terrible storm before landing where they will be mistreated.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
From there, a series of scenes — a late-night house party full of adults drinking and carousing, a cascade of tinsel falling off a Christmas tree, a playground fail — replicate a you-are-there feeling as a preadolescent named Elwood Curtis navigates the agonies and ecstasies of boyhood.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
12 Dec. 2024
-
Serving guests, some of them still carousing from the previous evening out, was never enough.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American-Statesman,
19 July 2024
Noun
-
Key speeches are faithfully delivered to an audience of two, not thousands; a scene of soldiers destructively revelling on a bridge is given a different spirit by ironic, out-of-time horseplay.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2025
-
And yes, there were cases on public roads where the horseplay turned dangerous.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The historic, late-September storm pummeled Western North Carolina leaving a wake of devastation.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 2025
-
After the hack asked Gueye to get out, the feeling-no-pain fare pulled the driver out of the cab and pummeled him — choking him and punching him numerous times, according to police.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
He was clowned for his efforts at making Buzelis sound cool.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
-
The car door opened, and a comical number of dancers streamed out—another reference to clowning.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Another interesting finding from the clinical trial that was more recently reveled is the reduction of visceral fat.—
Yola Robert,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Host Nikki Glaser, fresh from her successful emceeing duties, was seen reveling with fellow comedian Nate Bargatze, both basking in the evening’s triumphs.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Roughhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhouse. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share