roughhouse

[noun ruhf-hous; verb ruhf-hous, -houz]

See more synonyms for roughhouse on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural rough·hous·es

[ruhf-hou-ziz] /ˈrʌfˌhaʊ zɪz/.

rough, disorderly playing, especially indoors.

verb (used without object), rough·housed

[ruhf-houst, -houzd] /ˈrʌfˌhaʊst, -ˌhaʊzd/, rough·hous·ing

[ruhf-hou-sing, -zing] /ˈrʌfˌhaʊ sɪŋ, -zɪŋ/.

to engage in rough, disorderly play.

verb (used with object), rough·housed

[ruhf-houst, -houzd] /ˈrʌfˌhaʊst, -ˌhaʊzd/, rough·hous·ing

[ruhf-hou-sing, -zing] /ˈrʌfˌhaʊ sɪŋ, -zɪŋ/.

to handle roughly but with playful intent: to roughhouse the cat.

Origin of roughhouse

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; rough + house

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rough-house

Historical Examples

By this we mean what can in nowise be so clearly defined as by "rough-house."
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke
Nana insisted it was a bruise that Leonie had given her when they were having a bit of a rough-house.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
"Nice work, Chief--it must be a gift to rough-house the way you do," Bradley exclaimed.
Triplanetary
Edward Elmer Smith
In about two seconds there was the biggest kind of a rough-house.
Owen Clancy's Happy Trail
Burt L. Standish
My father had saved his life one rough-house night in Valparaiso.
A Son Of The Sun
Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for rough-house

roughhouse

noun

rough, disorderly, or noisy behaviour

verb

to treat (someone) in a boisterous or rough way

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rough-house

n.

1887, "uproar, disturbance," from rough (adj.) + house (n.). The verb is first attested 1896. Related: Rough-housing.

roughhouse

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}roughhouse

Related Words

Examples from the Web for rough-house

Historical Examples

By this we mean what can in nowise be so clearly defined as by "rough-house."

Nana insisted it was a bruise that Leonie had given her when they were having a bit of a rough-house.

"Nice work, Chief--it must be a gift to rough-house the way you do," Bradley exclaimed.

In about two seconds there was the biggest kind of a rough-house.

My father had saved his life one rough-house night in Valparaiso.

roughhouse

Word Origin and History for rough-house

n.

Origin of roughhouse