roughshod

American  

[ruhf-shod] / ˈrʌfˈʃɒd /

adjective

1. shod with horseshoes having projecting nails or points.

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idioms

1. ride roughshod over, to treat harshly or domineeringly; override; crush.

   He rode roughshod over his friends to advance himself in the business world.

roughshod British  

/ ˈrʌfˌʃɒd /

adjective

1. (of a horse) shod with rough-bottomed shoes to prevent sliding

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adverb

1. to domineer over or act with complete disregard for

Etymology

Origin of roughshod

First recorded in 1680–90; rough + shod

Explanation

Roughshod means "brutal" or "without regard for the rules." If someone ignores established rules and regulations, they run roughshod over the law. You'll nearly always find this word alongside "run" or "ride," as when a power-hungry politician rides roughshod over anyone who stands in the way of his success. We get this figurative term from the original meaning of roughshod, used to describe a horse whose metal shoes have sharp, protruding nails. This was done to prevent slipping, but during wartime it resulted in terrible damage to trampled soldiers. If you've been brutalized, you may feel someone's run roughshod over you.

Example Sentences

The Oklahoma City Thunder, top-seeded in the NBA playoffs for the third consecutive season, are running roughshod over opponents.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

Now they’re riding roughshod over the Milan Cortina Games.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

Critics say PSNs are being used for projects with minimal domestic benefit, including industrial zones managed by foreign companies, and allow developers to ride roughshod over environmental and rights protections.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

Insisting it was "pronounced Bouquet," Hyacinth ran roughshod over her long-suffering husband and bewildered neighbours in Keeping Up Appearances, one of Britain's most successful sitcoms in the 1990s.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

They ran roughshod over the whole county—tearing down fences so the cows would get loose, helping themselves to everybody’s crops, and stealing the storekeeper blind.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney