be tough on

idiom

: causing stress or worry to (someone)
This year has been tough on our family.

Examples of be tough on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Companies that didn’t mandate COVID-19 vaccines still proved to be tough on employees who decided against receiving the injection. Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 16 June 2025 The hopeful campaigned promising to be tough on crime and to improve security in the country. Alfie Pannell, Miami Herald, 8 June 2025 That’s despite a fall in crime rates and is driven in part by the fact that longer sentences are being handed out amid pressure to be tough on crime. Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025 Marshall’s law enforcement background followed by corrections points to someone who is going to be tough on crime. Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for be tough on

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Be tough on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/be%20tough%20on. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!