rough
rough
/rʌf/
not smooth
1 having a surface that is not even or regular
rough ground
The skin on her hands was hard and rough.
Trim rough edges with a sharp knife.
not exact
2 not exact; not including all details
a rough calculation/estimate of the cost
I've got a rough idea of where I want to go.
There were about 20 people there, at a rough guess.
a rough draft of a speech
a rough sketch
violent
3 not gentle or careful; violent
This watch is not designed for rough treatment.
They complained of rough handling by the guards.
She doesn't like playing with the rough kids.
Don't try any rough stuff with me!
Things got a bit rough, and the police were called.
You don't have to be so rough!
One carer was sacked for being rough with a patient.
4 where there is a lot of violence or crime
the roughest neighbourhood in the city
He had been brought up in a rough area of London.
sea/weather
5 having large and dangerous waves; wild and with storms
It was too rough to sail that night.
We had a rough passage across to the island.
They set sail in rough conditions.
There's no way he could have swum ashore in such rough weather.
There were rough seas in the area at that time.
difficult
6 difficult and unpleasant
He's had a really rough time recently (= he's had a lot of problems).
We'll get someone in to do the rough work (= the hard physical work).
You two are obviously going through a rough patch right now.
not well
7 (British English) not feeling well
You look rough—are you OK?
I had a rough night (= I didn't sleep well).
I'm still feeling a bit rough.
plain/basic
8 simply made and not finished in every detail; plain or basic
rough wooden tables
a rough track
(British English) rough paper for making notes on
not smooth
9 not smooth or pleasant to taste, listen to, etc.
a rough wine/voice
Idioms
(informal) to experience difficulties when you are doing something; to make things difficult for somebody
He will be given a rough ride at the party conference.
the fact of being treated unfairly
(to have some) small parts, for example in a performance or in your character, that are not yet as good as they should be
The ballet still had some rough edges.
He had a few rough edges knocked off at school.
The films are very rough around the edges.
(Australian English, informal) a situation in which somebody is treated badly or unfairly
rough
/rʌf/
in golf
1 the rough singular the part of a golf course where the grass is long, making it more difficult to hit the ball His second shot ended up in the rough.
drawing/design
2 countable (specialist) the first version of a drawing or design that has been done quickly and without much detail Only the best of the roughs are shown to the editor.
violent person
3 countable (old-fashioned, informal) a violent person a gang of roughs
Idioms
rough
/rʌf/
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
rough
/rʌf/
using force or violence
Do they always play this rough?
Idioms
Word Origin