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definitions

roughhouse

[ noun ruhf-hous; verb ruhf-hous, -houz ]
/ noun ˈrʌfˌhaʊs; verb ˈrʌfˌhaʊs, -ˌhaʊz /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

contend, grapple, compete, tangle, wrestle, scuffle, buck, shuffle, romp, contest, brawl, scrap, smack, hassle, battle, slug, row, box, fight, conflict

Nearby words

  1. roughage,
  2. roughback,
  3. roughcast,
  4. roughen,
  5. rougher,
  6. roughie,
  7. roughing mill,
  8. roughing-in,
  9. roughish,
  10. roughly

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for rough-house

British Dictionary definitions for rough-house

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
Word Origin and History for rough-house

rough-house

n.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper