as in roughhousing
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
their parents simply wouldn't tolerate any roughhouse in the living room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to wrestle
Related Words
Dissimilar 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 roughhouse
Lieke Ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Jody Garlock,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Noun
This is why some people work nine hours a day, go to the gym, and roughhouse with their kids in the evening, while others already feel tired just thinking about this daily schedule.
—
Lieke Ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
The boys still have room to roughhouse—and even space to set up their Ping-Pong table near the living area.
—
Jody Garlock,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for roughhouse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhouse
Noun
-
As expected, Aussies brought the roughhousing.
-
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.
Verb
-
Tempers flared late in the fourth quarter when Kings center Dylan Cardwell and Nets guard Egor Demin wrestled for a loose ball.
-
Officials throughout the state have tried to wrestle with the gray area e-bikes occupy — faster than humans strolling on the greenbelt but not quite at the same level as cars and trucks.
Verb
-
Everything is cut up and put together through chance operations into what Cage called a Musicircus.
-
During the matchup, Jeter dove into the stands in the top of the 12th inning to catch a foul ball, emerging from the crowd cut up and bruised.
Noun
-
Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
-
Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
Verb
-
Platner is also an unfaithful spouse who mistreats women.
-
One example would be laws prohibiting humans from mistreating AIs psychologically or physically.
Verb
-
Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).
-
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.
Noun
-
When horseplay turns into an impromptu hookup, neither of the young men fight the urge.
-
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.
Verb
-
Israeli troops advanced to its outskirts and didn’t enter, but their strikes pummeled what had been an economic powerhouse of Shiite business affluence.
-
Holland pummeled Sweden 5-1 and has scored seven goals through its two matches.
Cite this Entry
“Roughhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhouse. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
