# roughen up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/roughen-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

to make something rough or rougher

## Examples

- You should roughen up the wood before you paint it.
- The artist used sandpaper to roughen up the surface of the metal so the paint would stick better.
- To improve the grip on the handle, the craftsman decided to roughen up the smooth steel with a specialized grinding tool.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.