Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for rough-and-tumble. Search instead for roughed+and+tumble.
Definitions

rough-and-tumble

[ruhf-uhn-tuhm-buhl] / ˈrʌf ənˈtʌm bəl /


NOUN
rough, unrestrained fighting
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If EVs are coming for the world, this is the rough-and-tumble frontier.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

A stage adaptation can’t duplicate the way Lumet visually distilled the rough-and-tumble New York zeitgeist of the tumultuous early 1970s.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Mr. Soto makes evocative use of pop songs and a wandering clarinet motif, and with cinematographer Juan Sarmiento G. fashions a rough-and-tumble aesthetic well-suited to its chaotic central character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

Indeed, the Maddens found a certain frisson from the get-go in writing about their rough-and-tumble upbringing with a squeaky-clean pop flair.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025

I guess I wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind, a dainty daughter to help her bail against the rising tide of the rough-and-tumble boyish energy that always threatened to engulf the house.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly




Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "rough-and-tumble" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com