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

Examples of get 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.
Congress wants tougher measures against China There’s consensus in Congress on the need to get tougher on China to counter its growing economic, scientific, and military clout. Byjeffrey Mervis, science.org, 6 Nov. 2024 Image Since becoming Conservative leader in 2022, Mr. Poilievre has campaigned on a traditional Conservative message of lower taxes, smaller government and personal freedom, as well as easing regulations for the oil industry and getting tough on crime. Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025 Activist investor gets tough on Portillo’s amid national expansion Want more vintage Chicago? Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025 Conversely, the United States should get tougher on the subset of Iraqi elites who harm their country’s interests by aligning with Iran. Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for get tough on

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

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

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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 21 May. 2025.

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