characterized by violent, random, disorderly action and struggles.
a rough-and-tumble fight; He led an adventuresome, rough-and-tumble life.
given to such action.
First recorded in 1785–95
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fireflies at dusk, flitting around outdoor gatherings as cousins trade jokes with a friendly, rough-and-tumble edge.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
If EVs are coming for the world, this is the rough-and-tumble frontier.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
The daughter of a Marine father and a trauma nurse mother, Murphy grew up outside of Chicago as a rough-and-tumble kid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
Yet to many he was best experienced onstage, where he’d thread his songs into a kind of running monologue about his rough-and-tumble life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025
I worried that Luke would get picked on in that rough-and-tumble place.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
His first Emmy came for directing "Taxi," a groundbreaking comedy starring Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman and Tony Danza, about the rough and tumble staff of a New York City taxicab company.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
I don't think it will be as rough and tumble as it was when these teams met in the 1970 FA Cup final, but I'm going for the same outcome, which is a Chelsea win.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
That also meant Lithgow joined Bridges in taking on a performance that’s more physically rough and tumble than most actors in their 70s take on.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2024
And here she was, on the north slope of Beacon Hill, just a bit uphill from the rough and tumble waterfront, teeming with activity.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 2, 2023
He roared into battle, and in the bellowing thumping rough and tumble that followed, one sleeping giant after another either got stepped upon or kicked.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
