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roughen

[ruhf-uhn] / ˈrʌf ən /




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.

See Examples For:

Red whirls on this rabbit’s tongue are filiform papillae, which roughen the tongue and help move food around the mouth.

From New York Times ● May 21, 2024

The general idea is that ground surfaces roughen after the mass movement of rocks and soil, so that landslide deposits are the roughest right after the landslide occurs and become smoother over time.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2023

The narrative swerves enough to thrillingly roughen the course of love, and the characters are so memorable that readers will yearn for a third book.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 1, 2015

“If you’re going out, I would apply Conformist Hair Paste to roughen up the texture,” he says.

From Forbes ● Jun. 10, 2014

Then he sanded the wooden handles of the guns to roughen them slightly.

From Kid Wolf of Texas by Paul S. (Paul Sylvester) Powers

Wells has a deep, oaky baritone that roughens to a grumble in its lower register.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 4, 2019

You had better get on board now, before the sea roughens.

From The Billow and the Rock by E.J. Wheeler

As a general rule, pain, especially if it be mental, hardens and roughens the character.

From My Path to Atheism by Annie Wood Besant

The eye should be cleanly cut, or it roughens the thread.

From Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving by Grace Christie

Sometimes he slightly roughens the surface of the material, to give better foothold to pedestrians.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 530, February 27, 1886 by Various

Auto-tune aside, fans will notice that Thorn's voice has deepened and roughened.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2023

“It wasn’t looked at being this roughened type of scenario. It was an offering with very strong comforts of home while you still were able to enjoy the outdoors with your family.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 28, 2022

It was more like a shift in temperature or light, a texture inside of me that roughened.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2021

He sang his conversational lyrics in a voice roughened by a hard-luck life, particularly after throat cancer left him with a disfigured jaw.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 7, 2020

It pained him to see how her hands had roughened.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Though it may seem counterintuitive, roughening a ball’s surface delays the separation of the boundary layer and keeps a ball in turbulent flow longer.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 19, 2022

“When I close my eyes, I can still feel that moment,” said the other daughter, Samia, her voice roughening as her eyes filled with tears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2022

Instead he interprets traditional Yolngu chants, raising and roughening his gentle voice while a Western orchestra plays churning, minimalist accompaniments around him.

From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2018

Wilmington’s Council had been closing shortfalls of 5 percent to 10 percent for several years, and the compounding effect was roughening the edges of a city that aggressively marketed its coastal quality of life.

From New York Times ● Jul. 5, 2011

“Photographs taken by means of slanting light show clearly the roughening and raising of the fibres of the paper about the date due to mechanical erasure,” the examiner wrote.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann




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