knocked about
Treated with roughness
Knocked about describes being treated roughly or subjected to hard use over time.
A person who has been knocked about has endured physical battering or difficult life experiences: He'd been knocked about by years of manual labor.
Objects that are knocked about show wear from careless handling or harsh conditions.
The phrase can also mean to wander or travel casually without fixed plans: We knocked about Europe for a summer.
In British usage, to knock about with someone means to spend time with them informally.
- tossedThrew lightly
- kicked aroundDiscussed loosely, informally
- knockaboutRough, boisterous action
- weatheredEroded by exposure
- worse for wearDamaged by experience
thrown around · seen better days · toughened · battered · beat up · dented · jostled · mishandled · scarred · neglected · discarded · bruised · shabby · worn-out · scratched · flung · dilapidated · scuffed