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.

RELATED WORDS

horseplay, rowdiness

Nearby words

roughage, roughback, roughcast, roughen, rougher, roughhouse, roughie, roughing mill, roughing-in, roughish, 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 roughhouse

There were gangs of good-natured rowdies, and there were roughhouse communities in pioneer days.
The Wonderful Story of Lincoln|Charles M. Stevens
She don't seem nervous or panicky at all, like most women would, breakin' in on a roughhouse scene like that.
Shorty McCabe on the Job|Sewell Ford
Then, when the roughhouse came, these pajamas were swept along in the sacking—sort of spoils of pillage, you know.
The Haunted Pajamas|Francis Perry Elliott
I didnt want the boys riding over there and starting a roughhouse at the Tin Can Saloon.
The Heart of Canyon Pass|Thomas K. Holmes

Now it's sure this blond party's deal, and we better reckon ahead a mite before we start any roughhouse with her.
The Spenders|Harry Leon Wilson

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