Roughhousing Meaning in English

word · lemma: roughhouse

US

ˈrʌfˌhaʊzɪŋ

RUHF-how-zing

UK

ɹˈʌfhaʊs

RUHF-hows

Definition

Playing in a physical, energetic, and sometimes loud way, often by pretending to fight or wrestle, but not meant to hurt anyone.

Usage & Nuances

Mostly informal and used for children or playful adults. Common collocations: 'kids roughhousing', 'no roughhousing in the house'. Implies the behavior is not meant to be aggressive or harmful, but sometimes gets too wild.

• Spanish: juego brusco - pelear jugando
• Portuguese (BR): brincadeira bruta - bagunça
• Portuguese (PT): brincadeira bruta - confusão
• Chinese (Simplified): 打闹 - 嬉闹
• Chinese (Traditional): 打鬧 - 嬉鬧
• Hindi: शरारती मस्ती - मज़ाक में लड़ाई
• Arabic: اللعب بخشونة - المزاح العنيف
• Bengali: ধস্তাধস্তি - মজার মারামারি
• Russian: возня - баловство
• Japanese: じゃれ合い - ふざけ合い
• Vietnamese: nô đùa vật lộn - chơi đùa mạnh
• Korean: 장난치기 - 몸으로 노는 장난
• Turkish: şakalaşarak güreşme - şakalaşma (fiziksel)
• Urdu: ہلکی پھلکی کشتی - شرارتی کھیل
• Indonesian: bermain kasar - bercanda fisik

Example Sentences

The kids were roughhousing in the living room.

basic

No roughhousing at the dinner table!

basic

Some light roughhousing is okay as long as no one gets hurt.

basic

They were just roughhousing, not actually fighting.

natural

We told the boys to stop roughhousing before someone got hurt.

natural

Some parents allow a little roughhousing because it helps kids burn off energy.

natural