tougher; toughest
1
: difficult to accomplish, resolve, endure, or deal with
a tough question
tough luck
2
: capable of enduring strain, hardship, or severe labor
tough soldiers
4
a
: strong or firm in texture but flexible and not brittle
b
: not easily chewed
tough meat
5
: characterized by severity or uncompromising determination
tough laws
tough discipline
see also get tough on
6
: very hard to influence : stubborn
a tough negotiator
7
: stubbornly fought
a tough contest
8
: marked by absence of softness or sentimentality
a tough critic
toughly
adverb
: in a tough manner (see tough entry 1)
talking tough
toughed; toughing; toughs
: to bear unflinchingly : endure
—usually used with out especially in the phrase tough it out
Synonyms
Examples of tough in a Sentence
Adjective
I have a tough constitution, and my profession taught me how to compete against long odds and big obstacles.
—
Lance Armstrong, It's Not About The Bike, (2000) 2001
… Pelletreau had firsthand experience in dealing with Israelis as well as with Arabs and had a reputation for being bold, analytical, and tough as nails.
—Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
… this wiry, tough, frenetic Algerian with the beneficent smile, who could vault over the bar and stiff-arm a drunk out into the night in less time than it takes to say Edgar Poe, and return, bland as butter, to take up where he left off …
—William Styron, "The Paris Review," August 1953,
in William Styron, This Quiet Dust And Other Writings, (1953) 1982
He had on the other hand to preserve his own reputation as a tough D.A. who dealt handily with the criminal classes.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
She had a tough time in college.
Are you tough enough for the job?
He's been hanging around with a bunch of tough guys.
The rug is made of tough material.
Adverb
He talks tough but he's not really dangerous.
Noun
One night, after antagonizing a gang of older toughs, he had his face smashed in with a hockey stick.
—John Harris, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2002
They weren't strong enough to fight Sankoh and his hopped-up young toughs, who number in the thousands.
—Tom Masland et al., Newsweek, 15 May 2000
The subways provided fine service, except that lately there had been a problem. Packs of young toughs had taken to roaming the cars.
—Tom Wolf, Harper's, November 1989
didn't want her son hanging out with the neighborhood toughs
Verb
Summer in New York is coasting the dairy aisle at Safeway. … It's finding the spot in a subway car where the vent blows strongest and staying there past your stop, toughing it out when the "excuse me, ladies and gentlemen" hard-luck stories blow through.
—Guy Trebay, Village Voice, 30 July 1991
… they were toughing it out with the help of the greatest ally a macho young cop ever had, booze.
—Joseph Wambaugh, Lines and Shadows, 1984
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Lance Armstrong, It's Not About The Bike, (2000) 2001
… Pelletreau had firsthand experience in dealing with Israelis as well as with Arabs and had a reputation for being bold, analytical, and tough as nails.
—Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
… this wiry, tough, frenetic Algerian with the beneficent smile, who could vault over the bar and stiff-arm a drunk out into the night in less time than it takes to say Edgar Poe, and return, bland as butter, to take up where he left off …
—William Styron, "The Paris Review," August 1953,
in William Styron, This Quiet Dust And Other Writings, (1953) 1982
He had on the other hand to preserve his own reputation as a tough D.A. who dealt handily with the criminal classes.
—E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
She had a tough time in college.
Are you tough enough for the job?
He's been hanging around with a bunch of tough guys.
The rug is made of tough material.
Adverb
He talks tough but he's not really dangerous.
Noun
One night, after antagonizing a gang of older toughs, he had his face smashed in with a hockey stick.
—John Harris, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2002
They weren't strong enough to fight Sankoh and his hopped-up young toughs, who number in the thousands.
—Tom Masland et al., Newsweek, 15 May 2000
The subways provided fine service, except that lately there had been a problem. Packs of young toughs had taken to roaming the cars.
—Tom Wolf, Harper's, November 1989
didn't want her son hanging out with the neighborhood toughs
Verb
Summer in New York is coasting the dairy aisle at Safeway. … It's finding the spot in a subway car where the vent blows strongest and staying there past your stop, toughing it out when the "excuse me, ladies and gentlemen" hard-luck stories blow through.
—Guy Trebay, Village Voice, 30 July 1991
… they were toughing it out with the help of the greatest ally a macho young cop ever had, booze.
—Joseph Wambaugh, Lines and Shadows, 1984
See More
Recent Examples on the WebKevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
There are alternatives, but making the jump is a tough road for anyone.
—WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023
The third Republican presidential debate will be held on Nov. 8 in Miami, with candidates facing the toughest requirements yet to qualify to take the stage.
—CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023
Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but hostility to it is widespread, and police crackdowns on Pride parades have become tougher over the years.
—Reuters, NBC News, 22 Sep. 2023
Zelensky made his second visit to Washington in nine months, but the pomp and circumstance couldn’t mask the new reality that Kyiv’s war with Russia is proving a tougher sell to the Ukrainian president’s Western backers.
—WSJ, 22 Sep. 2023
But getting audiences to tune in outside of Sunday is going to be a very tough challenge for the network.
—Vulture, 21 Sep. 2023
The Rubbermaid's self-wringing system and scouring head make this mop a worthwhile purchase for households with tough, stuck-on messes.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023
The list is underrated rappers could fill the Grand Canyon, so that’s a tough question to answer.
—Spin Staff, Spin, 21 Sep. 2023
Karen Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2023
Parking tip: Competition gets tough closer to the trail head near Happy Isles, so a park shuttle bus is an alternate option.
—Sunset Magazine, 30 June 2023
Meanwhile, Bishop Fenwick’s guards will have to hang tough against a daunting Spartan backcourt.
—Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Mar. 2023
In its message to members, the WGA urged writers to hang tough together despite the hardships that may come with a strike.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 May 2023
Despite being shorthanded on the road against a foe determined to redeem itself, the Spurs hung tough before losing 134-122, facts that left Gregg Popovich proud of his crew.
—Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Oct. 2022
How the Spartans kept discussing the focus on details that betrayed them a month ago, about not giving up a 3-pointer, about playing tough inside, about boxing out on free throws.
—Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2023
Despite a distinct aggressiveness from the tip from James, who finished with 21 points, Etiwanda fought on the glass and played tough on the interior to never let the Trailblazers get too much momentum in transition.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
While the aftermarket is full of a variety of tough-looking solutions that promise all sorts of novel uses, the safest, easiest way to lift a vehicle’s wheels off the ground will always be with a simple bottle jack like this one from Pro-Lift for $43.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 30 July 2022
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Shots of Phoenix running from street toughs in his clown outfit are intercut with his social worker breaking up with him.
—Dan Brooks, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2019
At one point, toughs from a drug-trafficking gang called Loyal To Familia arrived on motorbikes looking for members of Brothas, a rival group.
—The Economist, 28 Nov. 2019
The two drugged toughs get off with a warning and some pummeling.
—Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Aug. 2019
Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 June 2023
Gadson maintains that guild members are ready to tough out a long work stoppage in their pursuit of a fair deal.
—William Earl, Variety, 2 May 2023
Still, the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh trying to tough out an infection.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2022
Baker Mayfield wants to tough it out.
—BostonGlobe.com, 20 Oct. 2021
Sure, the Justice Department and the FBI may tough it out that way.
—Charles Tiefer, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023
Why shouldn't amoebae just stay away from the group and try to tough it out on their own?
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2010
Given those obstacles, some try to tough out illness at home, with potentially deadly results.
—Ashley Wu, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2022
As spores, fungi can tough out adverse conditions and drift thousands of miles in the wind to find more livable settings.
—Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2012
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Adjective
Whether the ban will fare any better before higher courts remains to be seen, but experts say the law and others like it across the country face a tough road.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
There are alternatives, but making the jump is a tough road for anyone.
—WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023
The third Republican presidential debate will be held on Nov. 8 in Miami, with candidates facing the toughest requirements yet to qualify to take the stage.
—CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023
Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but hostility to it is widespread, and police crackdowns on Pride parades have become tougher over the years.
—Reuters, NBC News, 22 Sep. 2023
Zelensky made his second visit to Washington in nine months, but the pomp and circumstance couldn’t mask the new reality that Kyiv’s war with Russia is proving a tougher sell to the Ukrainian president’s Western backers.
—WSJ, 22 Sep. 2023
But getting audiences to tune in outside of Sunday is going to be a very tough challenge for the network.
—Vulture, 21 Sep. 2023
The Rubbermaid's self-wringing system and scouring head make this mop a worthwhile purchase for households with tough, stuck-on messes.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023
The list is underrated rappers could fill the Grand Canyon, so that’s a tough question to answer.
—Spin Staff, Spin, 21 Sep. 2023
Adverb
To a thumping bass beat, the young street tough portrayed by an extraordinary Sati Veyrunes arises in triumph, working the crowd with macho posturing and playfully confrontational look-at-me swagger.
—Karen Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2023
Parking tip: Competition gets tough closer to the trail head near Happy Isles, so a park shuttle bus is an alternate option.
—Sunset Magazine, 30 June 2023
Meanwhile, Bishop Fenwick’s guards will have to hang tough against a daunting Spartan backcourt.
—Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Mar. 2023
In its message to members, the WGA urged writers to hang tough together despite the hardships that may come with a strike.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 May 2023
Despite being shorthanded on the road against a foe determined to redeem itself, the Spurs hung tough before losing 134-122, facts that left Gregg Popovich proud of his crew.
—Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Oct. 2022
How the Spartans kept discussing the focus on details that betrayed them a month ago, about not giving up a 3-pointer, about playing tough inside, about boxing out on free throws.
—Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2023
Despite a distinct aggressiveness from the tip from James, who finished with 21 points, Etiwanda fought on the glass and played tough on the interior to never let the Trailblazers get too much momentum in transition.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
While the aftermarket is full of a variety of tough-looking solutions that promise all sorts of novel uses, the safest, easiest way to lift a vehicle’s wheels off the ground will always be with a simple bottle jack like this one from Pro-Lift for $43.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 30 July 2022
Noun
By the numbers Gary Klein’s prediction The NFC West rival Rams and the Seahawks always play each other tough.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Shots of Phoenix running from street toughs in his clown outfit are intercut with his social worker breaking up with him.
—Dan Brooks, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2019
At one point, toughs from a drug-trafficking gang called Loyal To Familia arrived on motorbikes looking for members of Brothas, a rival group.
—The Economist, 28 Nov. 2019
The two drugged toughs get off with a warning and some pummeling.
—Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Aug. 2019
Verb
Yet the father and son, still about five miles from the end of their 52-mile hike in the Manistee National Forest in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula, were determined to tough it out.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 June 2023
Gadson maintains that guild members are ready to tough out a long work stoppage in their pursuit of a fair deal.
—William Earl, Variety, 2 May 2023
Still, the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh trying to tough out an infection.
—Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2022
Baker Mayfield wants to tough it out.
—BostonGlobe.com, 20 Oct. 2021
Sure, the Justice Department and the FBI may tough it out that way.
—Charles Tiefer, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023
Why shouldn't amoebae just stay away from the group and try to tough it out on their own?
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2010
Given those obstacles, some try to tough out illness at home, with potentially deadly results.
—Ashley Wu, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2022
As spores, fungi can tough out adverse conditions and drift thousands of miles in the wind to find more livable settings.
—Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2012
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Adverb, Noun, and Verb
Middle English, from Old English tōh; akin to Old High German zāhi tough
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a
Adverb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1801, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1830, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of tough was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing tough
Dictionary Entries Near tough
Cite this Entry
“Tough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tough. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
tough
1 of 2 adjective1
a
: able to take great force : flexible and not brittle
tough fibers
b
: not easily chewed
tough meat
2
: marked by firmness or determination
a tough policy
3
: able to stand hard work and hardship
tough soldiers
4
: hard to influence : stubborn
a tough bargainer
5
: very difficult
a tough problem
6
: having much crime or bad behavior
a tough neighborhood
toughly
adverb
toughness
noun
tough
2 of 2 noun
: a tough person : rowdy
More from Merriam-Webster on tough
Nglish: Translation of tough for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tough for Arabic Speakers
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