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

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roughhousing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of roughhouse
1
as in wrestling

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in clowning

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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
  1. horseplay
  2. wrestling
  3. cutting up
  4. roughhouse
  5. pummeling
  6. carousing
  7. joking
  8. slapping
Noun
  • The device’s user manual also warns it should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment, torture or horseplay.
    — Ryan J. Foley, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The device's user manual also warns it should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment, torture or horseplay.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of horseplay
Verb
  • There will be live music, entertainment and even wrestling matches from Deep South Wrestling.
    — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Different types of businesses are wrestling with the same consumer concern, too.
    — Renée Onque, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrestling
Verb
  • Using unseen footage from Presley’s 1969 to 1976 Las Vegas residency, the movie plays the hits – plus The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – but also showcases his sense of humor, quipping with crowds and cutting up with bandmates.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 June 2026
  • Always cutting up and making memories.
    — Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 8 June 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
  • Now well west of Hawaii’s main islands, Lala had top sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) on Thursday and had begun pummeling the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument — a remote area at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of pummeling out of the sky in a ballistic reentry, the lifting body landed sort of like an airplane.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of pummeling
Verb
  • 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
  • The team were meek in defeat, but after a weekend carousing and communing in central London, Newcastle fans arrived at Wembley with a collective hangover.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Definition of carousing
Noun
  • Back in December 1968, Dolan wrote a joking column about the earlier Lake Worth monster, from way back in 1947.
    — Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
  • Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
Definition of joking
Verb
  • Lionel Messi was fined by MLS for lightly slapping Union attacker Quinn Sullivan.
    — Matt Piper, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Universities are not just slapping corporate logos on uniforms and facilities but building entertainment districts that can be lucrative far beyond game days.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of slapping

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roughhousing
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Cite this Entry

“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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