tough

adjective \ ˈtəf \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: tough in a Sentence

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

His speed and power are a challenge for even the toughest of defenders, and his ability with the ball at his feet is clear.

— SI.com, "Why Ruben Loftus-Cheek Will Make it at Chelsea Following Breakout Season at Crystal Palace," 12 July 2018
Fast-acting and potent, this one is best for tough and durable skin.

— ashley weatherford, The Cut, "Are You Exfoliating Your Face Wrong?," 11 July 2018
Teen Mom’s Catelynn Baltierra is reliving the tough and stressful choices that need to be made as a pregnant teenager.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Teen Mom's Catelynn Baltierra Emotionally Revisits Her Own Pregnancy on What Would You Do?," 11 July 2018
For the team, being tough and resilient is not just in the name.

— matt blomberg, latimes.com, "There's a reason that the soccer team rescued from a cave in Thailand was so tough and resilient," 11 July 2018
The Wolves also lost a tough one in the playoffs to Elder 2-1 to end their season.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Midland Braves feature baseball stars of the future," 11 July 2018
European regulators have already brought in tough new privacy rules, and are considering enhancing them.

— adam satariano, New York Times, "Tech Giants Win a Battle Over Copyright Rules in Europe," 5 July 2018
See her full tweet below: this has been v tough & conflicting on my heart.

— sofia mele, Billboard, "Ariana Grande Responds to Controversy Over Pete Davidson's Resurfaced Manchester Bombing Joke," 5 July 2018
Grass is really tough and every match can go either way.

— Houston Chronicle, "Maria Sharapova falls in first round at Wimbledon," 3 July 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 4a

See Words from the same year

tough Synonyms

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

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

That might explain why some people who love Trump’s tough-talking style are angry over the comments Waters made at a campaign rally last week.

— dahleen glanton, chicagotribune.com, "Maxine Waters shows that gutsiness is in the eye of the beholder," 28 June 2018
Might find things tough now the element of surprise is gone.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "World Cup: Ranking all 32 teams, from hopeless to hopefuls," 22 May 2018
Here is a look at some of those potential regional final matchups: Mukwonago at Middleton: Mukwonago finished sixth in the rugged Classic 8 but played a number of top teams tough.

— mark stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee-area girls soccer rankings, weekly honors," 28 May 2018
If the polls are right, Mr Duque’s tough-talking modernity will defeat Mr Petro’s radicalism in a run-off on June 17th.

— The Economist, "Colombians hope for change in the first post-war presidential election," 26 May 2018
And Mr Hannity, another tough-talking New Yorker, who feeds Mr Trump’s love of conspiracy theories and hatred of snooty elites, is his closest confidant on Fox.

— The Economist, "Sean Hannity shares a lot with Donald Trump, including an attorney," 19 Apr. 2018
Picking a jury has proven particularly tough after the #MeToo movement started toppling famous men in rapid succession months after Cosby's first trial ended in a deadlock.

— CBS News, "Bill Cosby trial judge delivers defense 2 big victories," 3 Apr. 2018
The seeming availability of guns, savvy intelligence gathering and the can-do, tough-guy image of Israelis like Mr. Barkat have impressed some American gun-rights advocates.

— isabel kershner, New York Times, "Is Israel a Model When It Comes to Guns, as Mike Huckabee Says?," 20 Feb. 2018
The cold air hangs tough over the area, with highs mainly in the lower 40s.

— david streit, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Cold quickly gives way to a milder weekend, but Sunday turns damp," 25 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of tough

see ¹tough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

tough

noun

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

An immaculate white convertible — the BMW of its day — and well out of the reach of a pack of teenage Orange toughs.

— Longreads, "The Cold War and its Fallout," 16 June 2018
Henri Jokihajru can't handle a tough back pass at the Brandon blue line, leading to a 2 on 1 and a Ty Lewis goal. 3-1 Brendan De Jong with the pass of his life at center ice, sending Joachim Blichfeld in for a breakaway goal.

— dylan bumbarger, OregonLive.com, "Winterhawks 4, Wheat Kings 3," 22 Jan. 2018
Martinez-Valdez, prosecutors say, was a street tough who earned a lucrative living by stepping into the sophisticated economic crime.

— david ovalle, miamiherald, "Illegal 'moving fire bombs' drive Miami black market for gas | Miami Herald," 12 Jan. 2018
Buddhist toughs threatened taxi drivers and merchants from Kargil, telling them they weren’t allowed to work in Leh.

— suhasini raj and jeffrey gettleman, New York Times, "On the Run for Love: Couple Bridges a Buddhist-Muslim Divide," 12 Oct. 2017
These teams — there are precisely two in the series, vaguely rivalrous, unequally enlightened — are the tough who get going when the going gets too tough for the ordinary weapons and tactics of ordinary police officers.

— robert lloyd, latimes.com, "CBS's flashy, action-packed 'S.W.A.T.' reboot will no doubt serve as comfort food to some viewers," 2 Nov. 2017
Cody Krause did the tough running up the middle by gaining 78 yards on 22 carries, including a 6-yard touchdown.

— andrew gruman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Five Takeaways: Muskego 28, Catholic Memorial 6," 8 Sep. 2017
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

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

tough Synonyms

Synonyms

gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, punk, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian;

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;

tough

verb

Definition of tough

toughed; toughing; toughs

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

Even starting pitcher Austin Bibens-Dirkx, who was tagged with five runs on six hits, including two home runs in the first three innings, toughed it out to go six and keep the Rangers within 5-2.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "Astros hold on against Rangers but Shin-Soo Choo stretches on-base streak to 43 games," 3 July 2018
Read: Incarcerated opioid addicts often have to tough out withdrawal.

— joel shannon, USA TODAY, "Near a Nebraska town, cops seize enough opioids to kill over 26 million," 26 May 2018
Most people will try to tough it out with more over-the-counter medications, eye drops and nasal sprays, Portnoy said.

— kelsey ryan, kansascity, "Are your allergies getting worse? Climate change may be to blame," 19 June 2018
Although the day started out gray and rainy, visitors to the recent Open House at the Dunes Learning Center toughed out the morning hours to enjoy a great sunny afternoon.

— sue ellen ross, Post-Tribune, "Discovering the wonders of the dunes," 11 June 2018
But with forest closures and the looming threat of wildfires, some people may think they’ll be forced to tough it out in temperatures approaching 100 degrees this weekend.

— weldon b. johnson, azcentral, "Despite forest closures, northern Arizona open for business on Memorial Day weekend," 24 May 2018
The most impressive macro factor throughout is that Philly was never out-worked or out-toughed.

— jeremy woo, SI.com, "The Sixers Passed Their First Test With Relative Ease," 24 Apr. 2018
In this predicament authoritarian rulers can negotiate, or dig in and tough it out.

— The Economist, "Riots threaten Nicaragua’s autocratic president," 26 Apr. 2018
Arguably one of the most quintessential summer pastimes, camping, for most, is about roughing-and-toughing it out in the wild.

— michelle profis, Country Living, "The New Accessory That Will Give Any Camping Experience a Serious Upgrade," 23 Mar. 2015

Origin and Etymology of tough

see ¹tough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1830

in the meaning defined above

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

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tough

Definition of tough

toughly

toughness

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Origin and Etymology of tough

tough Synonyms

Synonyms

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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

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tough

Definition of tough

Examples of tough in a Sentence

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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

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toughness

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