tough
Use Tough in a sentence
adjective
1.
strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
2.
not brittle or tender.
3.
difficult to masticate, as food: a tough steak.
4.
of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter: tough molasses.
5.
capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy: tough troops.
6.
not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn: a tough man to work for.
7.
hardened; incorrigible: a tough criminal.
8.
difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome: a tough problem.
9.
hard to bear or endure (often used ironically): tough luck.
10.
vigorous; severe; violent: a tough struggle.
11.
vicious; rough; rowdyish: a tough character; a tough neighborhood.
12.
practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.
13.
Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.
adverb
14.
in a tough manner.
00:10
Tough
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
noun
Idioms 15.
a ruffian; rowdy.
16.
17.
tough it out, Informal. to endure or resist hardship or adversity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To tough
Collins
World English Dictionary
tough (tʌf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | strong or resilient; durable: a tough material |
| 2. | not tender: he could not eat the tough steak |
| 3. | having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit: a tough mountaineer |
| 4. | rough or pugnacious: a tough gangster |
| 5. | resolute or intractable: a tough employer |
| 6. | difficult or troublesome to do or deal with: a tough problem |
| 7. | informal unfortunate or unlucky: it's tough on him |
| —n | |
| 8. | a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person |
| —adv | |
| 9. | informal violently, aggressively, or intractably: to treat someone tough |
| 10. | informal hang tough to be or appear to be strong or determined |
| —vb | |
| 11. | slang (tr) to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out) |
| [Old English tōh; related to Old High German zāhi tough, Old Norse tā trodden ground in front of a house] | |
| 'toughish | |
| —adj | |
| 'toughly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tough
O.E. toh "difficult to break or chew," from P.Gmc. *tankhuz (cf. M.L.G. tege, M.Du. taey, Du. taai, O.H.G. zach, Ger. zäh). See rough for spelling change. Figurative sense of "strenuous, difficult, hard to beat" is first recorded c.1200; that of "hard to do, trying, laborious" is from 1619. The
noun meaning "street ruffian" (U.S.) is from 1866. Toughen is attested from 1580s. Verb tough it "endure the experience" is first recorded 1830, Amer.Eng. Tough guy first recorded 1932. Tough-minded first recorded 1907 in William James. Tough luck first recorded 1912; tough shit is from 1946.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
tough
In addition to the idioms beginning with tough, also see get tough; gut (tough) it out; hang tough; hard (tough) act to follow; hard (tough) nut to crack.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Wobbly grip makes it tough to negotiate tight corners.
The resulting composite is strong, tough, and yet elastic.
Many of the decisions that reach the president's desk are tough calls, with strong arguments on both sides.
As an attractive and sturdy alternative to hardwood flooring, bamboo is tough to beat.
Slang
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
Synonyms
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