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
-
That could look like gliding your fingers down them, kissing, licking, or gently biting those areas.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 Sep. 2025 -
Go from the base to the tip with your tongue, kiss it, lick it and remember most of us have difficulties cumming just with oral.—
Ian Kumamoto,
Them.,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
More importantly, Penske also describes this dynamic as antitrust behavior from a company abusing what the federal government has already described as Google’s monopoly status in the realm of Internet search.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The biggest Flock controversy centers on allegations that law enforcement has abused the company’s surveillance network to target women, immigrants, and people engaging in legal activity outside their home states.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The most notorious, in 1978, saw the late queen hide behind a bush in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to avoid Nicolae Ceaușescu, having already removed anything that the Romanian dictator could steal from his room following a warning from Giscard d'Estaing, the then French president.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Other newborns were given away by their grandparents who conspired with doctors, priests and nuns to hide a daughter’s socially embarrassing pregnancy.—
Rafael Romo,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a new warning, a senior Iranian army official said Tehran was ready to broaden its military reach beyond conventional strikes if attacked.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Taylor fills the bootstraps of Perfidia Beverly Hills, a formidable leader armed with a rifle fighting for the cause, her main prerogative is to overtake the institutions that imprison and attack vulnerable groups.—
Essence,
Essence,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Not the grand slam that had Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal pounding his fist into his glove as Thomas circled the bases and Progressive Field erupted.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Eighteen students who fled from the shooting took shelter at a home just down the road, after an initial group of them pounded on the door asking for help, resident Don Cygan told 9News.—
Katie Langford,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Red Sox ambushed the New York Yankees in Sunday night’s series finale, ripping off six runs in the first inning en route to a 6-4 win.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
-
On that time Ohio’s mascot ambushed Ohio State’s mascot 15 years ago, by NBC4’s Jerod Smalley.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After the Ophir Awards named The Sea, about a young Palestinian boy's dream of seeing the ocean, as its Best Picture winner on Tuesday night, Minister of Culture Miki Zohar lashed out at the organization in a statement that also threatened to remove the Israeli Academy's public funding.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Like any tubing mascara, Badi Lash wraps lashes in flexible, smudge-proof polymers that darken and lengthen them.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Pats got manhandled by Mother Nature and the Dolphins over a 20-7 loss played out under 90-degree temperatures.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Tigers then manhandled Ball State.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share