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Synonyms

rough up

British  

verb

  1. informal to treat violently; beat up

  2. to cause (feathers, hair, etc) to stand up by rubbing against the grain

"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
rough up Idioms  

  1. Manhandle, subject to physical abuse, as in The gang was about to rough him up when the police arrived. [First half of 1900s]

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.

Writing in the Financial Times, Rebecca Nicholson says the show "takes a slightly different tack" from the original, "roughing up some of the cuteness with even more chaos and a carefully measured pinch of naughtiness".

From BBC

We've not seen anyone else rough up the Gunners like that this season, and Sunderland were more than a match for them.

From BBC

“The skies are a little rough up here,” he remarked with a wry smile, before mentioning that people will think he’s not in good health — but it was really the turbulence causing the problem.

From Salon

Doesn't mind being roughed up, it doesn't bother him if he doesn't have many touches.

From BBC

May has gone at least five innings in each of his five starts, getting roughed up in only one while posting a 3.95 ERA.

From Los Angeles Times

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.