roughhouse

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

See synonyms for: roughhouse roughhoused roughhousing 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. 2023

How to use roughhouse in a sentence

So that, while the boy who does not play "snappy" and hard cannot rank high, neither can the boy who plays "rough-house."
The Minister and the Boy | Allan Hoben
Said he liked things lively, but there was altogether too much rough-house on Beacon Hill for him.
Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son | George Horace Lorimer
Home rule would mean home rough-house—and a most beautiful argument it would be, enforced with shillalah logic.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 12 | Elbert Hubbard
If there's any more o' this rough house, I'll run in every one o' you!
The Walking Delegate | Leroy Scott
The way Im in wrong with the college, and now this new rough-house with Laura, will certainly put the crimp in me.
Cursed | George Allan England

British Dictionary definitions for roughhouse

roughhouse

/ (ˈrʌfˌhaʊs) slang /

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

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