toughen

verb

tough·​en ˈtə-fən How to pronounce toughen (audio)
toughened; toughening ˈtə-fə-niŋ How to pronounce toughen (audio)
ˈtəf-niŋ

intransitive verb

: to become tough

Examples of toughen in a Sentence

The government is toughening antidrug laws. weight lifting will help toughen those flabby muscles of yours
Recent Examples on the Web But even so, the effort to toughen the disciplinary process is likely to face stiff opposition from the police union, which backed the passage of the charter amendment that gave officers the choice of picking an all-civilian panel. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Being around people who have had those experiences may help to toughen you up. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The governor has tried to toughen her public safety platform after Republicans swept in the state’s congressional races in 2022, after campaigning on crime issues. USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Gloria and others who favor toughening the law find themselves at odds with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who continues to defend Proposition 47. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2024 Just a few days after a group U.S. lawmakers moved to toughen a tax loophole that lets Shein import its clothes at a cut price, the clothing giant is now facing pushback from competitors in the U.K. and environmentally-minded politicians in France. Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Mar. 2024 The new effort to toughen up the law — even if that increases the state’s prison populace a bit — now includes San Francisco and San Jose Mayors London Breed and Matt Mahan. Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Business owner and Navy veteran Mauricio Piña said that as enforcement has toughened, it's become more difficult for people from across the border to come and join in the celebration, which has visible economic and social impacts for the city. Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 These attacks, if anything, appear to have toughened him. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toughen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of toughen was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near toughen

Cite this Entry

“Toughen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toughen. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

toughen

verb
tough·​en ˈtəf-ən How to pronounce toughen (audio)
toughened; toughening ˈtəf-(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce toughen (audio)
: to make or become tough

More from Merriam-Webster on toughen

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