tough

⁴tough

verb \ˈtəf\

Definition of TOUGH

transitive verb

: to bear unflinchingly : endure —usually used with out especially in the phrase tough it out

Examples of TOUGH

1. Summer in New York is coasting the dairy aisle at Safeway. … It's finding the spot in a subway car where the vent blows strongest and staying there past your stop, toughing it out when the “excuse me, ladies and gentlemen” hard-luck stories blow through. —Guy Trebay, Village Voice, 30 July 1991
2. … they were toughing it out with the help of the greatest ally a macho young cop ever had, booze. —Joseph Wambaugh, Lines and Shadows, 1984

Origin of TOUGH

(see ¹tough)

First Known Use: 1830