as in roughhousing
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
their parents simply wouldn't tolerate any roughhouse in the living room
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to wrestle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of roughhouse
Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2023
Brazil’s team, a double defending champion, had been eliminated in the group stage in the 1966 championship in England, with Pelé literally kicked out of the tournament by the roughhouse play of Brazil’s opponents.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2022
Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2024
These inflatable body bumpers do just that while also ensuring that kiddos don’t get hurt while roughhousing in the backyard, park, or beach.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Noun
Geno lost his composure at the end of the game, picked up a T, then critiqued South Carolina’s roughhouse style.
—Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2023
Brazil’s team, a double defending champion, had been eliminated in the group stage in the 1966 championship in England, with Pelé literally kicked out of the tournament by the roughhouse play of Brazil’s opponents.
—Tariq Panja, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2022
Verb
There were nights spent roughhousing at the fire station, maybe engaging in a pillow fight or two.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2024
These inflatable body bumpers do just that while also ensuring that kiddos don’t get hurt while roughhousing in the backyard, park, or beach.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhouse
Noun
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The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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The actor shared rare photos of the teen with his younger siblings, getting it in at the gym, hiking, and roughhousing.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Fortunately the wig has had a second outing with Fouracres donning it again in Episode 7, when his parody Attenborough turned up to wrestle a discontented rhino during Weekend Update.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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The renowned Federalist Papers of the late 1780s, 85 essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrestled with this exact debate.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Verb
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In the photos, the former teammates are seen celebrating wins on the court, relaxing on vacation and cutting up during practice.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
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Because the rings were found intact and not cut up for currency, this suggests they were not used for trade but instead served a symbolic purpose, likely decorative, communicating status, wealth, and power.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Noun
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Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
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The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some of the Richins' children described waking in fear the day their father died and being mistreated by Kouri Richins in statements read by their counselors.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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Activists accused the facility of mistreating the dogs that were being bred for laboratory testing.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Bethany takes the explosive event as a sign to reunite with her old girlfriend Nel (Lena Góra), and carouse across lofts, clubs, and back alleys, leaving her erstwhile partner stranded.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Apr. 2026
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Others blame social media for hindering crew members from socializing—and carousing—together.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After France’s 4-3 victory against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, horseplay between the players at the team hotel culminated in back-up centre-back Adil Rami setting off a fire extinguisher in the early hours of the morning.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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Once, before the stabbing, Malik chased Yahkeim with a knife during horseplay.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Former health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra recently nodded to reality on health care, and his Democratic rivals for California governor are pummeling him for it.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
18 May 2026
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The first baseman got back in the swing of things on the City Series stage Saturday, connecting for two long balls as the White Sox pummeled the Cubs 8-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 38,795 at Rate Field.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Roughhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhouse. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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