roughhousing 1 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

roughhousing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of roughhouse
1
as in wrestling

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clowning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughhousing
  1. horseplay
  2. wrestling
  3. roughhouse
  4. tomfoolery
  5. buffoonery
  6. slapstick
Noun
  • On my gondola, however, horseplay is not only encouraged, it is required.
    Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 24 Sep. 2024
  • Prosecutors allege Alec Baldwin engaged in ‘horseplay’ and acted recklessly on ‘Rust’ set.
    Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
Definition of horseplay
Verb
  • That’s an impressive feat given there was almost two hours without wrestling on a three-hour show.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Tonight's broadcast promises an exciting lineup of special guests, including John Cena, who will officially retire from wrestling this year, along with Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
Definition of wrestling
Noun
  • This makes the roughhouse ballet a satisfying bridge to the final scene in Roberta’s room, where their vulnerabilities are revealed.
    Peter Marks, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
  • Weighing between eight and 10 pounds, these pooches are not ideal for young kids who tend to roughhouse.
    Country Living, Country Living, 1 May 2023
Definition of roughhouse
Noun
  • This sweet 1978-82 CBS sitcom had plenty of workplace comedic tomfoolery, but none was more shocking and hilarious than the ending of this absurd Thanksgiving story.
    Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
  • But hey, at least her particular brand of right-wing tomfoolery isn’t headed down under.
    Abby Monteil, Them, 28 Oct. 2024
Definition of tomfoolery
Noun
  • Fans are fixated on his greatness juxtaposed against the rest of the Bengals’ buffoonery.
    The Athletic NFL Staff, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Either way the brilliance or buffoonery of that idea will shine through.
    Alex Montoya, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Jan. 2025
Definition of buffoonery
Noun
  • In each episode, Shaun tries to liven up mundane farm life with low-stakes schemes that eventually spiral into farcical, slapstick situations.
    Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Summer this year mixed slapstick ultra-violence with kid-friendly fare, with another massively successful July release in Despicable Me 4 also targeted to younger audiences.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Definition of slapstick
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near roughhousing

roughhouses

roughhousing

roughing

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Roughhousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughhousing. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on roughhousing

Nglish: Translation of roughhousing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
yorkshire terrier dressed up as a doctor
A Visit with the Word Doctor: Medical Terms Quiz Give your vocabulary a checkup