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
The abrasive cleaner can strip the finish, roughing up and damaging the surface.
—
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
Now everyone thinks Hector is a cop killer, and he’s getting roughed up by the NYPD as well as guards and inmates alike at Rikers.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
They were roughed up by presidential loyalists and fled Venezuela.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The last time Duke put in a Final Four appearance on CBS was in 2010, when the Blue Devils roughed up West Virginia 78-57 in the primetime window in front of an audience of 15.8 million viewers.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
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Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2025
Now everyone thinks Hector is a cop killer, and he’s getting roughed up by the NYPD as well as guards and inmates alike at Rikers.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
They were roughed up by presidential loyalists and fled Venezuela.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The last time Duke put in a Final Four appearance on CBS was in 2010, when the Blue Devils roughed up West Virginia 78-57 in the primetime window in front of an audience of 15.8 million viewers.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
Cite this Entry
“Rough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough%20up. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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