rough up
phrasal verb
roughed up; roughing up; roughs up
informal
: to hit and hurt (someone)
The prisoner claimed that he was roughed up by the guards.
Examples of rough up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The cops then tried to rough up the man in his apartment, but Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) was there to protect him and dole out some brutal, bone-snapping justice.
—
Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Crystal does an opening film, again all about him perhaps not doing the show and getting roughed up by the cops in L.A. Confidential, auditioning for The Full Monty etc., etc.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
But on the way out of town, for good measure, his militia looted a local store and roughed up a few locals, residents said, actions that turned much of the community against him.
—Azam Ahmed, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
After getting roughed up in a blowout loss at Purdue last month, the Wolverines adjusted and reeled off six wins in a row to climb into first place.
—Austin Meek, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
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Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Crystal does an opening film, again all about him perhaps not doing the show and getting roughed up by the cops in L.A. Confidential, auditioning for The Full Monty etc., etc.
—Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
But on the way out of town, for good measure, his militia looted a local store and roughed up a few locals, residents said, actions that turned much of the community against him.
—Azam Ahmed, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
After getting roughed up in a blowout loss at Purdue last month, the Wolverines adjusted and reeled off six wins in a row to climb into first place.
—Austin Meek, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough up
Cite this Entry
“Rough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough%20up. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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