What does "tough" mean?

1. (strong and resilient) strong and able to handle pain, difficult conditions, or hard work. 2. (difficult to do) very difficult to deal with or finish. 3. (hard to chew) difficult to cut or chew, especially meat. 4. (strict or severe) strict and not easily influenced by pity or excuses. 5. (a bully or thug) a person who is violent or acts like a bully. 6. (to endure) to stay strong and deal with a difficult situation until it ends.

How do you use "tough"?

Usually appears as 'tough it out'.

tough

adj. · n. · v.

US //ˈtəf// UK //tˈʌf// tough

1 strong and resilient (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

strong and able to handle pain, difficult conditions, or hard work.

physically or mentally resilient; capable of enduring hardship or strain without breaking.

Example

She is a tough person who never gives up when things get hard.

Example

The mountain climbers were remarkably tough, surviving three days in the sub-zero temperatures with minimal supplies.
- weak
- fragile
2 difficult to do (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

very difficult to deal with or finish.

demanding great effort, endurance, or resolve.

Example

The exam was really tough and many students didn't finish on time.

Example

The board faced a tough decision regarding the merger, as hundreds of jobs were potentially at stake.
- easy
- simple

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3 hard to chew (adj.)
B1 Intermediate Cooking

difficult to cut or chew, especially meat.

physically firm or fibrous; resistant to mastication or cutting.

Example

The steak was so tough that I could barely cut it with my knife.

Example

If you overcook the octopus, the texture becomes incredibly tough and rubbery rather than tender.
- chewy
- leathery
- tender
- soft
4 strict or severe (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

strict and not easily influenced by pity or excuses.

enforcing rules strictly; unyielding or severe in judgment or policy.

Example

The new manager is very tough on employees who arrive late.

Example

The government promised to be tough on crime by introducing mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders.
- lenient
- soft
5 a bully or thug (n.)
C1 Advanced Informal

a person who is violent or acts like a bully.

a person who behaves in a rough or violent way, typically a criminal or a hired bully.

Example

A couple of street toughs were hanging around the corner looking for trouble.

Example

The local gang employed several toughs to intimidate shopkeepers into paying for protection.
- thug
- bully
- ruffian
6 to endure (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

to stay strong and deal with a difficult situation until it ends.

to endure a difficult period or situation; almost exclusively used in the phrasal verb 'tough it out'.

Example

It was a long, cold walk, but we decided to tough it out.

Example

Despite the falling stock prices, the investors decided to tough it out and wait for the market to recover.

Usage

Usually appears as 'tough it out'.
- endure
- withstand
- quit
- surrender

Origin

From Middle English tough, towgh, tou, toȝ, from Old English tōh (“tough, tenacious, holding fast together; pliant; sticky, glutinous, clammy”), from Proto-West Germanic tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic tanhuz (“fitting; clinging; tenacious; tough”), from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian toai, Low German tei, tah, tage, Dutch taai, Luxembourgish zéi, German zäh(e), Bavarian zaach, all principally “chewy, leathery, sticky”, and hence “tenacious, resilient, dogged”.

Idioms13 entries