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
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 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
Al Weaver, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2025
Successful gold mining today bears little resemblance to the storied era of America’s first gold boom: rough-and-tumble 19th-century boomtowns cropping up overnight to accommodate speculative prospectors, chasing gold veins and rumors.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 21 Nov. 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
Ratcliffe experienced a rough-and-tumble confirmation process to become the director of national intelligence (DNI) in 2020.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2025
Successful gold mining today bears little resemblance to the storied era of America’s first gold boom: rough-and-tumble 19th-century boomtowns cropping up overnight to accommodate speculative prospectors, chasing gold veins and rumors.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-tumble
Adjective
-
The Trump administration has expressed interest in other minerals like lithium, graphite, and titanium, but these are based on rough mineral estimates.—
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
-
While New York City as a whole is safer than most other metropolises, pockets of especially rough neighborhoods are unsafe, particularly for young men.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Authorities believe Davis orchestrated the hit with others in the car following a brawl at the MGM Grand casino.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
6 Mar. 2025
-
For one thing, Born Again gets Cox in the suit ASAP and cuts to the chase almost as fast with an assassin’s fatal hand and a cop-bar brawl that truly shoots out the lights.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The character first appears in the franchise’s original film Scream (1996) as the older brother of Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) and the clumsy police deputy trying to help solve the murders in their town of Woodsboro.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Aviles’ dismissal, for a clumsy challenge on the edge of the penalty area, seemed set to turn the game.—
Martin Rogers,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Chicago Fire April 19: Columbus Crew May 10: Minnesota United May 14: San Jose Earthquakes May 24: Philadelphia Union The good news for out-of-Miami Messi fans is that – so far – there are no direct schedule clashes between the Argentina national team schedule and the Herons’ itinerary.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
-
The sun’s clash with Jupiter encourages you to accept a promising career opportunity!—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But unseen, in underground pipelines that cut through vast fields of barley, flows about $5 billion annually worth of Canadian crude oil and natural gas, most of it from Alberta.—
Dee-Ann Durbin and Sally Ho,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
-
The United States imports crude oil from Canada, specifically the Alberta oil sands.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
At the time, Pearce called out a rude fan while performing at WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
Fox News,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Anti-Tesla sentiment is at an all-time high, whether expressed through rude bumper stickers and peaceful protest or vandalism and arson, in part because Musk has continually stoked tension with his far-right politics.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 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
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-tumble. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share