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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

Yet to many he was best experienced onstage, where he’d thread his songs into a kind of running monologue about his rough-and-tumble life.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2025

I found myself smack between Chase and Mattie and the three rough-and-tumble boys chasing them.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson




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