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roughhouse

[ noun ruhf-hous; verb ruhf-hous, -houz ]
/ noun ˈrʌfˌhaʊs; verb ˈrʌfˌhaʊs, -ˌhaʊz /
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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.
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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. 2022

How to use roughhouse in a sentence

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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