rough-and-tumble
adjective
characterized by violent, random, disorderly action and struggles.
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rough-and-tumble
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rough and tumble
rough and tumbleDisorderly scuffling or infighting, as in She had some reservations about entering the rough and tumble of local politics. This expression originated in the late 1700s in boxing, where it referred to a fight without rules. [Mid-1800s]
rough-and-tumble
American
[ruhf-uhn-tuhm-buhl]
/ ˈrʌf ənˈtʌm bəl /
adjective
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characterized by violent, random, disorderly action and struggles.
a rough-and-tumble fight; He led an adventuresome, rough-and-tumble life.
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given to such action.
noun
rough-and-tumble
British
noun
adjective
rough and tumble
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of rough-and-tumble
First recorded in 1785–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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 best proof of the Pistons’ rough-and-tumble bona fides comes from the admiration they’ve won from the crosstown hockey club.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
Indeed, the Maddens found a certain frisson from the get-go in writing about their rough-and-tumble upbringing with a squeaky-clean pop flair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2025
Born on March 15, 1767, in a rugged cabin near Waxhaw Creek, a border area between North and South Carolina, he grew up in a rough-and-tumble frontier of hardship and war.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
I got a crash course on Angeleno aesthetics and the ins and outs of the rough and tumble San Fernando Valley hurly-burly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
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
Mahmoud is a cheeky teenager who beams the biggest of smiles even though he lost his front teeth in the rough and tumble of kids’ play.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2024
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
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.
