tough

tough
I UK [tʌf] / US adjective
Word forms "tough":
adjective tough comparative tougher superlative toughest
***
1) difficult

He's having a really tough time at the moment.

It was a tough decision to move to London.

Many companies are facing tough competition.

•

Collocations:
Nouns frequently used with tough
▪  assignment, battle, call, challenge, choice, decision, fight, target, task
2) strong and able to deal with difficult situations or pain

I think she'll be all right because she's very tough.

3) confident, and determined to get what you want

a tough businesswoman

4) very strict and severe

The report contained tough criticism of the company's management style.

She's campaigning for tough new laws on industrial pollution.

be tough on:

The new mayor promises to be tough on crime.

get tough with (= deal with in a severe way):

She promised to get tough with people who claim benefits fraudulently.

take a tough stance/stand:

We must take a tough stance against terrorism.

5) food, especially meat, that is tough is very difficult to cut and chew
6) difficult to break or damage

The tool is made from a very tough and resilient steel.

7) likely to behave in a violent way

a couple of tough-looking lads

8) a tough place is one in which there is a lot of crime and violence

He grew up in a tough inner-city neighbourhood.

•
See:
luck I, nail I

Derived words:
toughly
adverb

a toughly worded message


toughness
noun uncountable

An athlete needs to show both physical and mental toughness.


II UK [tʌf] / US verb
III UK [tʌf] / US adverb
Word forms "tough":
comparative tougher superlative toughest
in a way that shows you are determined, strong, or not afraid
act/talk etc tough:

This team can play tough when it has to.


IV UK [tʌf] / US noun [countable]
Word forms "tough":
singular tough plural toughs informal
a violent man, especially a violent criminal

V UK [tʌf] / US interjection
used for saying that you have no sympathy for someone

"I wanted to come with you." "Tough! You shouldn't have been late."

If they don't like my cooking, it's tough!


English dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • tough´ly — tough «tuhf», adjective, adverb, noun, verb. –adjective. 1. bending without breaking: »Leather is tough; cardboard is not. 2. hard to cut, tear, or chew: »The steak was so tough, I couldn t eat it. 3. stiff; sticky: »tough clay …   Useful english dictionary

  • Tough — Tough, a. [Compar. {Tougher}; superl. {Toughest}.] [OE. tough, AS. t[=o]h, akin to D. taai, LG. taa, tage, tau, OHG. z[=a]hi, G. z[aum]he, and also to AS. getenge near to, close to, oppressive, OS. bitengi.] 1. Having the quality of flexibility… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tough — 高校鉄拳伝タフ/タフ (Koko Tekken den Tough/Tough) Genre action, comédie, arts martiaux, sport Manga : Koko Tekken den Tough Type Seinen Auteur Tetsuya Saruwatari …   Wikipédia en Français

  • tough — [tuf] adj. [ME < OE toh, akin to Ger zäh, tough, viscous, prob. < IE base * denk , to bite > TONGS] 1. strong but pliant; that will bend, twist, etc. without tearing or breaking 2. that will not cut or chew easily [tough steak] 3.… …   English World dictionary

  • Tough — may refer to: * Tough (manga), a Japanese manga series by Tetsuya Saruwatari * Tough (song), by country music artist Craig Morgan * Tough (Kurtis Blow album), a 1982 album by Kurtis Blow * Tough (Wishbone Ash album), a 2008 album by Wishbone Ash… …   Wikipedia

  • tough — 〈[ tʌ̣f] Adj.; umg.〉 hart, streng, tüchtig, selbstsicher, bestimmt ● die Verhandlungen waren sehr tough; ihr Auftreten ist tough [engl., „hart, zäh“] * * * tough [taf ; engl. tough, verw. mit ↑ zäh], taff [jidd. toff < hebr. tôv = gut] <Adj …   Universal-Lexikon

  • tough — tough; tough·en; tough·ie; tough·ish; tough·ly; tough·ness; …   English syllables

  • tough — [adj1] sturdy, strong brawny, cohesive, conditioned, dense, durable, fibrous, firm, fit, flinty, hard, hard as nails*, hard bitten*, hardened, hardy, healthy, indigestible, inflexible, leathery, lusty, mighty, molded, resilient, resistant, rigid …   New thesaurus

  • tough´en|er — tough|en «TUHF uhn», transitive verb. to make tough or tougher: »He toughened his muscles by doing exercises. –v.i. to become tough or tougher: »His muscles finally toughened. –tough´en|er, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • tough|en — «TUHF uhn», transitive verb. to make tough or tougher: »He toughened his muscles by doing exercises. –v.i. to become tough or tougher: »His muscles finally toughened. –tough´en|er, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • Tough —    TOUGH, a parish, in the district of Alford, county of Aberdeen, 5 miles (S. E. by E.) from Alford; containing 762 inhabitants. This place is situated partly in the northern and western portions of the Corrennie range, or Red hill, and partly… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

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