tough

adjective \ ˈtəf \

Definition of tough

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

3 :unruly, rowdyish

a tough gang

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

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

9 :glutinous, sticky

—

toughly

adverb

—

toughness

noun

See tough defined for English-language learners

See tough defined for kids

Examples of tough in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

Harvey’s devastating flooding brought back tough memories in New Orleans as Tuesday marked the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

— michael kunzelman, The Seattle Times, "Western Louisiana in crosshairs as Harvey moves back to land," 30 Aug. 2017
The edge: The fourth exhibition game remains a tough sell to casual fans.

— dan wiederer, chicagotribune.com, "Bears' final exhibition: Watch for Mitch Trubisky — and a fight for jobs," 30 Aug. 2017
Harvey’s devastating flooding brought back tough memories in New Orleans as Tuesday marked the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

— Washington Post, "Western Louisiana in crosshairs as Harvey moves back to land," 30 Aug. 2017
Your challenge as a job seeker, therefore, is to anticipate tough interview questions and knock your answers out of the park.

— daniel bortz, Fortune, "5 Tough Interview Questions–and How You Should Answer Them," 29 Aug. 2017
Orlando Arcia made a tough play to get the forceout at second, then Neil Walker made a late throw to first in an attempt for a double play.

— todd rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Cardinals 10, Brewers 2: Matt Garza gets rocked," 29 Aug. 2017
This is a tough call, since Tormund did appear to go tumbling down with the rest of the Wall at Eastwatch.

— katey rich, HWD, "What Actually Happened on Game of Thrones This Season," 28 Aug. 2017
The tough U.N. sanctions – supported by China and Russia – were intended to help nudge North Korea closer to negotiating table, but instead, Pyongyang has again defied the international community.

— jen kirby, Daily Intelligencer, "North Korea Reportedly Launches Three Short-Range Missiles," 25 Aug. 2017
Loyola (13-1): Ramblers must weather injuries, tough early schedule (Phillips, Bishop Amat, Mount Carmel) 7.

— lamond pope, Lake County News-Sun, "Countdown to football: Max Lyle, Vernon Hills ranked No. 1 in the preseason," 24 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tough.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tough

Middle English, from Old English tōh; akin to Old High German zāhi tough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

tough Synonyms

Synonyms

chewy, leathery

Antonyms

tender

Related Words

fibrous, gristly, sinewy, stringy; brittle, crunchy, hard; cardboardy

Near Antonyms

mushy, soft

Synonym Discussion of tough

strong, stout, sturdy, stalwart, tough, tenacious mean showing power to resist or to endure. strong may imply power derived from muscular vigor, large size, structural soundness, intellectual or spiritual resources.

- strong arms
- the defense has a strong case

stout suggests an ability to endure stress, pain, or hard use without giving way.

- stout hiking boots

sturdy implies strength derived from vigorous growth, determination of spirit, solidity of construction.

- a sturdy table
- people of sturdy independence

stalwart suggests an unshakable dependability.

- stalwart environmentalists

tough implies great firmness and resiliency.

- a tough political opponent

tenacious suggests strength in seizing, retaining, clinging to, or holding together.

- tenacious farmers clinging to an age-old way of life

tough

adverb \ ˈtəf \

Definition of tough

:in a tough manner (see ¹tough)

talking tough

See tough defined for English-language learners

Examples of tough in a Sentence

He talks tough but he's not really dangerous.

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

A videotape of a meeting in February between the Cuban vice president and members of the Communist Party — long before a tough-talking President Donald Trump unveiled his new Cuba policy in Miami — seems to answer that question.

— fabiola santiago, miamiherald, "Maybe Cuba ‘owes nothing’ to U.S. — but it does to the Cuban people," 22 Aug. 2017
Kasowitz was another Trump doppelganger: a brash, tough-talking, often-menacing streetfighter.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Fratricidal Fight Inside the White House," 27 July 2017
Clarke, a tough-talking, conservative firebrand recognized by his penchant for cowboy hats, announced the appointment Wednesday during an interview with a Wisconsin radio station.

— natalie johnson, Fox News, "Trump purportedly taps Sheriff Clarke for Homeland Security post," 17 May 2017
And tough-talking realism is all about how 'This group's a threat, that group's a threat,' another group's a threat.

— time staff, Time, "Read Former President Bill Clinton's Commencement Address at Hobart and William Smith Colleges," 14 May 2017
In Eugene O’Neill’s 1922 play, one of his more directly political works, Robert (Yank) Smith (the stupendous Bobby Cannavale) is a tough-talking, anti-intellectualizing stoker who shovels coal in the boiler room of a ship heading for New York.

— The New Yorker, "The Hairy Ape," 8 Apr. 2017
The costs of rebuilding that supply chain, toy makers say, would be enormous, and the economics particularly tough in a business where single items may sell for only $10.

— paul page, WSJ, "Today’s Top Supply Chain and Logistics News From WSJ," 12 Jan. 2017

Origin and Etymology of tough

see ¹tough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

tough

noun \ ˈtəf \

Definition of tough

:a tough and violent person :rowdy

See tough defined for English-language learners

Examples of tough in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

Thus, Mayweather is dipping into the ranks of the UFC in some sort of Tough Guy Face-off, a battle-sport version of Godzilla vs. Mothra.

— will leitch, Daily Intelligencer, "It Seems Like Sports Can’t Sink Much Lower Than Mayweather-McGregor. But Just Wait.," 23 July 2017
That May Be a Tough Sell: Gadfly Takeover Approaches Representatives for JPMorgan and Worldpay declined to comment for this story.

— david hellier, Bloomberg.com, "JPMorgan in Balancing Act as Worldpay Broker and Suitor," 4 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of tough

see ¹tough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1801

See Words from the same year

tough Synonyms

Synonyms

bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hooligan, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, punk, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, hoodlum, toughie (also toughy), yob [British], yobbo [British]

Related Words

cutthroat, scoundrel, villain; assassin, bandit, bravo, brigand, criminal, crook, desperado, felon, gunman, highwayman, lawbreaker, mafioso, malefactor, offender, outlaw, perp, perpetrator, pirate; pickpocket, racketeer, robber, swindler, thief, vandal; juvenile delinquent, tearaway [British]

tough

verb \ ˈtəf \

Definition of tough

transitive verb

:to bear unflinchingly :endure —usually used with out especially in the phrase tough it out

See tough defined for English-language learners

Examples of tough in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

According to Dorram, the hardest part of the roots look is toughing out the urge to color back over them.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "This Is the Secret to Making Dark Roots Look Intentional," 17 July 2017
Then came the Cup Series, where the kid toughed it out for 132 races without a victory.

— george diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Austin Dillon finally breaks free from great expectations of No. 3," 29 May 2017
The first option is to tough it out, sticking with the House Republican legislation and seeking to shrug off or belittle the C.B.O.’s analysis.

— john cassidy, The New Yorker, "C.B.O. Report Leaves Trump in a Political Jam on Health Care," 14 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of tough

see ¹tough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1830

See Words from the same year

TOUGH Defined for English Language Learners

tough

adjective

Definition of tough for English Language Learners

: very difficult to do or deal with
: physically and emotionally strong : able to do hard work, to deal with harsh conditions, etc.
: physically strong and violent

tough

adverb

Definition of tough for English Language Learners

: in a way that shows that you are strong or tough

tough

noun

Definition of tough for English Language Learners

: a tough and violent person

TOUGH Defined for Kids

tough

adjective \ ˈtəf \

Definition of tough for Students

tougher; toughest

1 :strong or firm but flexible and not brittle

tough fibers

tough leather

2 :not easily chewed

tough meat

3 :physically or emotionally strong enough to put up with strain or hardship

4 :very strict, firm, or determined

a tough coach

tough rules

5 :very difficult to do or deal with

We've had some tough times.

The math test was tough.

6 :lawless 2

a tough neighborhood

—

toughness

noun

Learn More about tough

See words that rhyme with tough Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tough Spanish Central: Translation of tough Nglish: Translation of tough for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tough for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tough? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

tough

Definition of tough

toughly

toughness

From the M-W Editors

Examples of tough in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tough

tough Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of tough

tough

Definition of tough

Examples of tough in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tough

tough

Definition of tough

Examples of tough in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tough

tough Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

tough

Definition of tough

Examples of tough in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tough from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tough

TOUGH Defined for English Language Learners

tough

Definition of tough for English Language Learners

tough

Definition of tough for English Language Learners

tough

Definition of tough for English Language Learners

TOUGH Defined for Kids

tough

Definition of tough for Students

toughness

Learn More about tough

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Forms of Government Quiz

Words of the Year: 1066