toughen
verb
\
, ˈtəf-niŋ \
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Synonyms & Antonyms for toughen
Synonyms
beef (up), fortify, harden, strengthen
Antonyms
debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, weaken
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Examples of toughen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At the time, the number of families seeking asylum was rising steadily, and Administration officials were determined to toughen enforcement. — Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, "ICE Agents Are Losing Patience with Trump’s Chaotic Immigration Policy," 24 June 2019 His son's unit might have wanted to toughen his son up, Paul Clyde reasoned. — Jennifer Emily, Dallas News, "Family of Dallas courthouse shooter Brian Clyde believes he wanted to be killed," 19 June 2019 The Siberian Times reported that Russia toughened its penalties for polar bear poaching last year. — Washington Post, "A starving polar bear that was seen scavenging for food in a Russian industrial city has been captured," 20 June 2019 But others argue that many of the same results could be achieved by toughening up the existing regulatory system without the politically debilitating fight over imposing a broad new tax. — Evan Halper, latimes.com, "Biden proposes $1.7-trillion plan to combat climate change," 4 June 2019 Washington is also working with European allies such as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the possibility of toughening an international nuclear agreement with Iran. — Patricia Zengerle, Anchorage Daily News, "Pompeo becomes U.S. secretary of state as Iran, North Korea issues await," 26 Apr. 2018 Sutton has proposed toughening lobbying and self-dealing laws, creating a stronger state ethics commission and working to make government documents such as emails, correspondence and calendars public records under South Dakota law. — James Nord, The Seattle Times, "Democrat to debate with rare shot at governor’s race win," 22 Oct. 2018 Newsom pushed for a statewide initiative to toughen California gun laws and supported a measure to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. — Phil Willon, latimes.com, "Meet John Cox and Gavin Newsom, the candidates for California governor," 10 June 2018 In Hungary, Orban put up two rows of razor-wire fences on the country’s southern borders and toughened immigration laws, drawing fierce criticism from EU officials. — Washington Post, "Anti-immigrant party set to make gains in Slovenia vote," 1 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'toughen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for toughen
toughen
verb
English Language Learners Definition of toughen
See the full definition for toughen in the English Language Learners Dictionary
toughen
verb
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Kids Definition of toughen
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