as in horseplay
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
roughhousing was simply part of growing up in a family with four boys
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as in wrestling
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as in clowning
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of roughhousing
Sean Gregory,
Time,
20 June 2026
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.
—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
As expected, Aussies brought the roughhousing.
—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
20 June 2026
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.
—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhousing
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
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Wallace ended up wrestling the gun back from the officer, police said, at which point the officer shot Wallace, police said at the time.
-
Growth comes from wrestling with uncertainty long enough to form your own conclusions.
Verb
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Using unseen footage from Presley’s 1969 to 1976 Las Vegas residency, the movie plays the hits – plus The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – but also showcases his sense of humor, quipping with crowds and cutting up with bandmates.
-
Always cutting up and making memories.
Noun
-
Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
-
Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
Verb
-
Behested payments make an excellent target for pummeling the presidential contender.
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Vargas was among a group of three men being sought for pummeling the cab parked at 36th St and Seventh Ave.
Verb
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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).
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The team were meek in defeat, but after a weekend carousing and communing in central London, Newcastle fans arrived at Wembley with a collective hangover.
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.
Verb
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There was briefly some concern earlier this year that Chestnut wouldn’t be able to participate in the 2026 competition after he was arrested for allegedly slapping a man in an Indiana bar.
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Chestnut competed in the event while serving a 180-day probation sentence after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from drunkenly slapping a man in an Indiana bar earlier this year.
Cite this Entry
“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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