rough up
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle up
Meanings
Attack and hurt someone physically
Why “up”? Something normal is disturbed. Feelings, systems, machines, or behavior become noisy, troubled, or out of control.
“They roughed him up in the alley.”
“The gang roughed up the shopkeeper.”
Test yourself
“They roughed him up in the alley.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
act up
Same up pattern: trouble
Behave badly or stop working properly
blow up
Same up pattern: trouble
Explode or be destroyed by an explosion; Inflate something by filling it with air; Suddenly become very angry; Enlarge a photograph or image; (of a storm or argument) develop quickly into something serious
cut up
Same up pattern: trouble
Cut something into smaller pieces; Make someone deeply upset or distressed; Behave in a wild or noisy way to attract attention; Overtake another driver suddenly and dangerously
dig up
Same up pattern: trouble
Remove something from the ground by digging; Discover information that was hidden or forgotten; Damage a surface by tearing into it; Mention or revive something embarrassing from the past
keep up
Same up pattern: trouble
Continue at the same level or rate; Move at the same speed as someone else; Stay informed about something current; Prevent someone from going to bed or sleeping; Prevent something from falling down; Maintain pretences, an appearance or a habit; Match the social or financial standard of others
kick up
Same up pattern: trouble
Cause a fuss or commotion
mash up
Same up pattern: trouble
Crush food into a soft mass
mess up
Same up pattern: trouble
Spoil or do something badly
Practice “rough up” in Sink In
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