rough up
Britishverb
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informal to treat violently; beat up
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to cause (feathers, hair, etc) to stand up by rubbing against the grain
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.
Former opener David Warner taught batter Cameron Bancroft how to use sandpaper to rough up the ball, and Bancroft was then caught doing so by TV cameras during play.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2025
“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 ● Oct. 31, 2025
The Kraken can then rough up the Arizona Coyotes for the third time in eight days, this time in front of the Coyotes’ own fans.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
Be sure to rough up the surface about an inch or so deep with a hand fork and work an organic fertilizer into the soil before watering it well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
He’d look at me, and he’d laugh and rough up my hair, and then he’d take off his cap and he’d put it on my head.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
