ROUGHHOUSING Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

roughhousing 1 of 2

noun

as in horseplay

wildly playful or mischievous behavior roughhousing was simply part of growing up in a family with four boys

Synonyms & Similar Words

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roughhousing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of roughhouse

as in wrestling

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

as in clowning

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of roughhousing

Noun

As expected, Aussies brought the roughhousing. — Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026 The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026 The actor shared rare photos of the teen with his younger siblings, getting it in at the gym, hiking, and roughhousing. — Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 10 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhousing

Noun

Six months ago, Thomas drowned during rough horseplay in a pool.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
The video depicts a group of students engaged in horseplay, progressing to two 15-year-olds tussling and laughing, according to the suit.

— Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of horseplay

Verb

Benjamin Satterley, known to wrestling fans around the world as Pac, died last month of bronchial asthma, the medical examiner’s office in Cook County, Illinois, confirmed Friday.

— Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Inside the school Giamanco saw a woman wrestling with the boy for control of the shotgun.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrestling

Verb

One reason being that the videographer kept cutting up [a slab of] meat for the castle owner.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2026
Cut the half into thin wedges by making ½-inch slices lengthwise through the onion, cutting up to, but not through, the root end.

— Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of cutting up

Noun

The boys still have room to roughhouse—and even space to set up their Ping-Pong table near the living area.

— Jody Garlock, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2026
This is why some people work nine hours a day, go to the gym, and roughhouse with their kids in the evening, while others already feel tired just thinking about this daily schedule.

— Lieke ten Brummelhuis, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Definition of roughhouse

Verb

Democrats are more than happy to draw those connections, pummeling their Republican rivals for standing by a president who is unpopular with so many voters.

— Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026
The key will be credibly signaling that critical Russian military and economic assets will be at risk if Russian forces continue pummeling Ukraine’s civilian economy and society.

— Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of pummeling

Verb

There are certainly fans and pundits who feel that anything short of a title shouldn’t be celebrated in sports, and some who think carousing over anything less is especially beneath the Yankees, who have won 27 World Series but zero since 2009.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026

Definition of carousing

Noun

Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of joking

Verb

Less than three months after that deal was announced in January 2022, Smith became an industry pariah after slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, earning a 10-year ban from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Hochman said the nannies were caught on video spanking, slapping or hitting the children.

— News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of slapping

Browse Nearby Words

roughhouses

roughhousing

roughing

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“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of roughhousing

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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