talk tough
idiom
: to say that one will act in a forceful and aggressive way
When the subject is national security, all the candidates talk tough.
—often + onThe new mayor talks tough on crime.
Examples of talk tough in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Organizers point out that workers are often demoralized when union leaders talk tough and then quickly settle for a subpar deal.
—
Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
But the debate over the EAGLE Act suggests that while Democrats in Congress are happy to talk tough on China, too few of them are up to the task of crafting concrete measures to confront the threats Beijing poses to the global order.
—Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 5 July 2021
Beard is white, gets in his players’ faces, loves to talk tough.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023
Controversial Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva frequently uses social media to talk tough about crime, dismiss claims of widespread police brutality and call out his critics.
—Justin Ray, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2022
President Biden took the podium to talk tough and show resolve.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 24 Feb. 2022
It was broadcast after Trump, who seems certain to seek a return to the Oval Office in 2024, was beginning to talk tough about potential primary opponents.
—Michael D'antonio, CNN, 5 Oct. 2021
President Biden hasn’t been afraid to talk tough and set expectations with Vladimir Putin, but will Mr. Biden enforce his own red lines?
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 7 July 2021
Although Biden is planning to talk tough in Geneva, the goal is to ease tensions and establish predictability on both sides by reining in Putin’s adventurism.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 11 June 2021
Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
But the debate over the EAGLE Act suggests that while Democrats in Congress are happy to talk tough on China, too few of them are up to the task of crafting concrete measures to confront the threats Beijing poses to the global order.
—Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 5 July 2021
Beard is white, gets in his players’ faces, loves to talk tough.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023
Controversial Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva frequently uses social media to talk tough about crime, dismiss claims of widespread police brutality and call out his critics.
—Justin Ray, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2022
President Biden took the podium to talk tough and show resolve.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 24 Feb. 2022
It was broadcast after Trump, who seems certain to seek a return to the Oval Office in 2024, was beginning to talk tough about potential primary opponents.
—Michael D'antonio, CNN, 5 Oct. 2021
President Biden hasn’t been afraid to talk tough and set expectations with Vladimir Putin, but will Mr. Biden enforce his own red lines?
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 7 July 2021
Although Biden is planning to talk tough in Geneva, the goal is to ease tensions and establish predictability on both sides by reining in Putin’s adventurism.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 11 June 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'talk tough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near talk tough
Cite this Entry
“Talk tough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk%20tough. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share