[
UK
/tˈʌf/
]
[ US /ˈtəf/ ]
[ US /ˈtəf/ ]
ADJECTIVE
-
physically toughened
the tough bottoms of his feet - resistant to cutting or chewing
-
substantially made or constructed
a tough all-weather fabric
some plastics are as tough as metal
sturdy steel shelves
sturdy canvas -
feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')
he was feeling tough after a restless night
my throat feels bad
she felt bad all over -
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
a tough character -
very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution
it was a tough job
a rugged competitive examination
the rugged conditions of frontier life
the competition was tough
it's a tough life -
violent and lawless
the more ruffianly element
tough street gangs -
unfortunate or hard to bear
had hard luck
a tough break -
making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
a baffling problem
I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast
a problematic situation at home
NOUN
- a cruel and brutal fellow
- someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing
- an aggressive and violent young criminal
How To Use tough In A Sentence
- Deefer took others off to see if there might not be a few plump wherries in the hills; they would make a nice change from the tough herdbeast meat, the supply of which was now virtually ex - hausted. Nerilka's Story
- He had to toughen his skin against constant and vile abuse. The Sun
- Hale and hearty, though aged, strong-featured, with the tough and leathery skin produced by long years of sunbeat and weatherbeat, his was the unmistakable sea face and eyes; and at once there came to me a bit of Kipling's A Winner of the Victoria Cross
- Rob's strengths lay in absorbing the pressure and criticism, and in doing this well he more than proved himself courageous, gutsy and tough.
- The white plates are composed of a very tough but light titanium alloy that provides a good deal of extra protection to the body's vitals.
- His self-image is rooted in robotic toughness, like the shape-shifting, molten-metal fiend in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
- When the toughest of the problems strike me, I just remind myself that God is on my side. RVM
- The government is proposing tougher punishments for officials convicted of corruption.
- Tough, stylish, and super comfy, this leather slip-on is the perfect after-sport snowshoe.
- Mineral filled, toughened, lubricated polybutylene terephthalate resin for injection moldingsurface aesthetics.