/ tʌf; NAmE / adjective , noun , verb
■ adjective
( tough·er , tough·est )
DIFFICULT
1.
having or causing problems or difficulties :
a tough childhood
It was a tough decision to make.
She's been having a tough time of it (= a lot of problems) lately.
He faces the toughest test of his leadership so far.
It can be tough trying to juggle a career and a family.
STRICT / FIRM
2.
tough (on / with sb/sth) demanding that particular rules be obeyed and showing a lack of sympathy for any problems or suffering that this may cause :
Don't be too tough on him—he was only trying to help.
It's about time teachers started to get tough with bullies.
The school takes a tough line on (= punishes severely) cheating.
OPP soft
STRONG
3.
strong enough to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations :
a tough breed of cattle
He's not tough enough for a career in sales.
She's a tough cookie / customer (= sb who knows what they want and is not easily influenced by other people) .
4.
( of a person ) physically strong and likely to be violent :
You think you're so tough, don't you?
He plays the tough guy in the movie.
MEAT
5.
difficult to cut or chew
OPP tender
NOT EASILY DAMAGED
6.
not easily cut, broken, torn, etc. :
a tough pair of shoes
The reptile's skin is tough and scaly.
UNFORTUNATE
7.
tough (on sb) ( informal ) unfortunate for sb in a way that seems unfair :
It was tough on her being dropped from the team like that.
( ironic )
'I can't get it finished in time.' 'Tough!' (= I don't feel sorry about it.)
► tough·ly adverb
► tough·ness noun [ U ]
•
IDIOMS
- (as) tough as old boots | (as) tough as nails
- tough luck
—more at act noun , going noun , hang verb , nut noun , talk verb
■ noun
( old-fashioned , informal ) a person who regularly uses violence against other people
■ verb
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- tough sth out
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English tōh , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch taai and German zäh .