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 Clayton Kershaw was roughed up for seven runs on Wednesday night in San Diego. —

Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2024 In his second start since returning from shoulder surgery, Clayton Kershaw was roughed up by the San Diego Padres for seven runs and failed to get through four innings in an 8-1 loss for the Dodgers on Wednesday night. —

Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 31 July 2024 No guitar solo wears out its welcome; the feedback lasts just long enough to rough up some of the pretty; every bass line, chintzy drum, and honeyed harmony (also coming from Flegel) emerges then slips away at just the right moment. —

Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 14 July 2024 They were dyed in a green and blue tint, spun in the tumble dryer, and then roughed up using sandpaper. —

Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 1 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for rough up

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rough up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.