as in horseplay
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
roughhousing was simply part of growing up in a family with four boys
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in wrestling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in clowning
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhousing
Noun
-
Butch Baker, who was Henry County sheriff until 2014, recalled an incident in which Bertram was accused of inappropriate horseplay at the community corrections office.—
Tony Cook,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025 -
The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
That’s an impressive feat given there was almost two hours without wrestling on a three-hour show.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Tonight's broadcast promises an exciting lineup of special guests, including John Cena, who will officially retire from wrestling this year, along with Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
This makes the roughhouse ballet a satisfying bridge to the final scene in Roberta’s room, where their vulnerabilities are revealed.—
Peter Marks,
Washington Post,
14 Nov. 2023
-
Weighing between eight and 10 pounds, these pooches are not ideal for young kids who tend to roughhouse.—
Country Living,
Country Living,
1 May 2023
Noun
-
Judge Judy, has served up swift justice with a sharp tongue and zero patience for tomfoolery.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
21 July 2025
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Your first thought would be that certainly the LLM won’t fall for this kind of tomfoolery.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Stewart’s switch from his usual snark to imitate Colbert’s buffoonery proved how spiteful and irreligious political humor has become since the left’s worship of Barack Obama and subsequent persecution of President Trump.—
Armond White,
National Review,
25 July 2025
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The other person who spoke in South Carolina, Tim Walz, is a special mixture of extreme buffoonery and a mean spirit, which is a toxic brew.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2025
Noun
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On the other hand, the slapstick of Leanne attempting Zumba or Pilates helps widen Morgan’s comedic range, showing a talent for slapstick as well as a turn of phrase.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
31 July 2025
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Like the opera, the film blends these disparate moods and tones at a whirlwind tempo: slapstick comedy and poignant melodrama, graceful lyricism and bumptious braggadocio, witty satire and bitter tragedy.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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