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
Gail tries to talk tough, telling him Ellie’s acting like every other 19-year-old who wants to put distance between themselves and their parents.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2025
Nationalism creates pressure for the government to talk tough and placate domestic audiences, increasing the costs of restraint.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2020
China Trump has continued to talk tough against China while praising its leader Xi Jinping.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2024
Perhaps the best way to understand Trump’s China policy is to view it as an attitude rather than a strategy: talk tough on China and push back in all areas and at all times.
—Evan Medeiros, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2021
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
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Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2025
Nationalism creates pressure for the government to talk tough and placate domestic audiences, increasing the costs of restraint.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2020
China Trump has continued to talk tough against China while praising its leader Xi Jinping.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2024
Perhaps the best way to understand Trump’s China policy is to view it as an attitude rather than a strategy: talk tough on China and push back in all areas and at all times.
—Evan Medeiros, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2021
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
Cite this Entry
“Talk tough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talk%20tough. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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