get tough on

idiomatic phrase

: to deal harshly with
Greece promised last week to get tough on tax evasion …—Alan Clendenning
Environmental groups and health agencies such as the American Lung Association have pushed lawmakers to get tough on polluters and enact stricter smog limits …—Melissa Knopper
"… For a long time in the United States, the politics around law and order have been, get tough on crime. … "—Paul Butler

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of get tough on was in 1945

Dictionary Entries Near get tough on

get-tough

get tough on

get to work

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Cite this Entry

“Get tough on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20tough%20on. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

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