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
But reliever JoJo Romero got the next out, the Cardinals roughed up Yuki Matsui for two more runs in the ninth and the Padres’ ninth-inning rally was halted at one run when Fernando Tatis Jr. followed up Freddy Fermín’s RBI single by flying out to the warning track to end the game.
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Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Since getting roughed up in Houston on June 27, Horton hasn’t allowed a run in three of his last four starts while posting 1.52 ERA in that span.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2025
Clark's rookie year in 2024 included several controversial incidents in which Clark was roughed up by opposing players.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025
The unprecedented act of disrespecting and roughing up a U.S. senator occurred at the Westwood federal building during a Noem news conference Thursday.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 18 June 2025
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Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Since getting roughed up in Houston on June 27, Horton hasn’t allowed a run in three of his last four starts while posting 1.52 ERA in that span.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2025
Clark's rookie year in 2024 included several controversial incidents in which Clark was roughed up by opposing players.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025
The unprecedented act of disrespecting and roughing up a U.S. senator occurred at the Westwood federal building during a Noem news conference Thursday.
—George Skelton, Mercury News, 18 June 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 6 Aug. 2025.
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