as in rough
hastily or roughly constructed
the announcement of his candidacy was made from a rough-and-tumble stage put together just that morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
a rough-and-tumble broke out among the fans in the stands
Synonyms & Similar 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 rough-and-tumble
Stephen Groves, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023
The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2025
With about a half a minute to go in a rough-and-tumble second stanza, Traven, up 5-0 on points, rolled one of Weber’s shoulder blades to the mat.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
Adjective
The trappings of the Senate were another world from Mr. Abourezk’s rough-and-tumble childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, where his Lebanese parents had immigrated and ran a general store.
—Stephen Groves, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023
The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
Noun
The Missouri Valley Conference was more on par with the Mountain West then, a rough-and-tumble mid-major circuit in which Wichita State and Southern Illinois were more than happy to run over you.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2025
With about a half a minute to go in a rough-and-tumble second stanza, Traven, up 5-0 on points, rolled one of Weber’s shoulder blades to the mat.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-tumble
Adjective
-
That gave me my confidence back after a pretty rough departure from NBC.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
22 May 2025
-
The 200 square miles of surrounding coral reefs proved rough for mariners, but divers now reap the benefits with some 300 shipwrecks to explore, from the 192-foot American schooner Constellation that sank during World War II to the Mary Celestia, a Civil War era paddle-wheeler.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Authorities attempted to limit the violence on the Seaside Heights boardwalk over the holiday weekend by imposing a 10 p.m. curfew on unaccompanied minors, but the brawls continued anyway, WABC reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2025
-
No one could agree on whether the brawl of as many as nine young men was limited to fists or if its participants were also kicking and stomping.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
These transitions, between past and present, are sometimes clumsy but sometimes genuinely sweet, as with an old letter that near-simultaneously is dictated and written, received and read, and finally rediscovered (and only partially understood) in the 21st century.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
27 May 2025
-
Wildlife officials helped remove a black bear found hanging out in the kitchen of a Kentucky home after an impressive, yet clumsy break-in, photos show.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
The clash between Villaraigosa’s environmentalist credentials and oil-industry ties surfaced in the governor’s race after Valero announced in late April that its Bay Area refinery would close next year, not long after Phillips 66 said its Wilmington refinery would close in 2025.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
-
Trump tests legal strategies as judges block his policies As the clash becomes a defining moment in the president's second term, conservative activists are pushing Congress to rein in federal judges and pressing Trump to intensify his fight with the courts.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
Such a fund holds derivatives tied to the prices of a basket of physical assets—crude oil, natural gas, precious metals, base metals, grains, livestock.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
Subscribe The core inflation is expected to ease in the coming months due to lower crude oil prices and the yen’s appreciation, said Masato Koike, economist at Sompo Institute Plus.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Hintz, meanwhile, got a rude welcome back early in Game 4 when Evan Bouchard slashed him right in the same area that Darnell Nurse injured him in Game 2.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
-
And in the case of fully autonomous EVs, it might be considered rude to expect human passengers to get out and cable a robotaxi to a supercharger for a quick top up on the way to the airport.—
Paul Ridden
May 23,
New Atlas,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
The brand showed off its novel approach to creating a modern version of a vintage Land Rover Defender replete with switch panels for off-road performance and accessories and a rough-and-ready chassis design.—
Scotty Reiss,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
-
Their rough-and-ready vérité shooting style creates an intimacy with the subject that deepens the emotional response to music that for many of us is ingrained in our DNA.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-tumble. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share