tough


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tough

 (tŭf)
adj. tough·er, tough·est
1. Able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking; strong and resilient: a tough all-weather fabric.
2. Hard to cut or chew: tough meat.
3.
a. Physically hardy; rugged: tough mountaineers; a tough cop.
b. Strong-minded; resolute: a tough negotiator.
4.
a. Aggressive; pugnacious.
b. Inclined to violent or disruptive behavior; rowdy or rough: a tough street group.
5.
a. Difficult to endure; severe; harsh: a tough winter.
b. Trying or unpleasant: had a tough day.
c. Difficult to deal with; demanding or troubling: It's tough to go to school and work a full-time job. The exam had many tough questions.
d. Informal Unfortunate; too bad: It was a tough break to get sick on the day of the concert.
6. Slang Fine; great.
n.
A violent or rowdy person; a hoodlum or thug.
Idioms:
that's tough
Used to indicate recalcitrance or noncompliance with a complaint or demand.
tough it out Slang
To get through despite hardship; endure: "It helps if one was raised to tough it out" (Gail Sheehy).

[Middle English, from Old English tōh.]

tough′ly adv.
tough′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tough

(tʌf)
adj
1. strong or resilient; durable: a tough material.
2. not tender: he could not eat the tough steak.
3. having a great capacity for endurance; hardy and fit: a tough mountaineer.
4. rough or pugnacious: a tough gangster.
5. resolute or intractable: a tough employer.
6. difficult or troublesome to do or deal with: a tough problem.
7. informal unfortunate or unlucky: it's tough on him.
n
a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person
adv
8. informal violently, aggressively, or intractably: to treat someone tough.
9. hang tough informal to be or appear to be strong or determined
vb
(tr) slang to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out)
[Old English tōh; related to Old High German zāhi tough, Old Norse trodden ground in front of a house]
ˈtoughish adj
ˈtoughly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tough

(tʌf)

adj. tough•er, tough•est,
adv., n., v. adj.
1. strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
2. not brittle or tender.
3. difficult to chew: a tough steak.
4. capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy: tough troops.
5. not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn.
6. hardened; incorrigible: a tough criminal.
7. difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with.
8. hard to bear or endure (often used ironically): tough luck.
9. vigorous; severe; violent: a tough struggle.
10. vicious; rough; rowdy: a tough neighborhood.
11. Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.
adv.
12. in a tough manner.
n.
13. a ruffian; rowdy.
v.
14. tough it out, Informal. to endure or resist hardship or adversity.
Idiom.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English tōh, c. Middle Low German tā, Old High German zah]
tough′ly, adv.
tough′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

tough


Past participle: toughed
Gerund: toughing

Imperative
tough
tough
Present
I tough
you tough
he/she/it toughs
we tough
you tough
they tough
Preterite
I toughed
you toughed
he/she/it toughed
we toughed
you toughed
they toughed
Present Continuous
I am toughing
you are toughing
he/she/it is toughing
we are toughing
you are toughing
they are toughing
Present Perfect
I have toughed
you have toughed
he/she/it has toughed
we have toughed
you have toughed
they have toughed
Past Continuous
I was toughing
you were toughing
he/she/it was toughing
we were toughing
you were toughing
they were toughing
Past Perfect
I had toughed
you had toughed
he/she/it had toughed
we had toughed
you had toughed
they had toughed
Future
I will tough
you will tough
he/she/it will tough
we will tough
you will tough
they will tough
Future Perfect
I will have toughed
you will have toughed
he/she/it will have toughed
we will have toughed
you will have toughed
they will have toughed
Future Continuous
I will be toughing
you will be toughing
he/she/it will be toughing
we will be toughing
you will be toughing
they will be toughing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been toughing
you have been toughing
he/she/it has been toughing
we have been toughing
you have been toughing
they have been toughing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been toughing
you will have been toughing
he/she/it will have been toughing
we will have been toughing
you will have been toughing
they will have been toughing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been toughing
you had been toughing
he/she/it had been toughing
we had been toughing
you had been toughing
they had been toughing
Conditional
I would tough
you would tough
he/she/it would tough
we would tough
you would tough
they would tough
Past Conditional
I would have toughed
you would have toughed
he/she/it would have toughed
we would have toughed
you would have toughed
they would have toughed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.tough - someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxingtough - someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing
battler, belligerent, combatant, fighter, scrapper - someone who fights (or is fighting)
2.tough - an aggressive and violent young criminaltough - an aggressive and violent young criminal
bully - a hired thug
criminal, crook, felon, malefactor, outlaw - someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
3.tough - a cruel and brutal fellowtough - a cruel and brutal fellow    
aggressor, assailant, assaulter, attacker - someone who attacks
bullyboy - a swaggering tough; usually one acting as an agent of a political faction
muscleman, muscle - a bully employed as a thug or bodyguard; "the drug lord had his muscleman to protect him"
skinhead - a young person who belongs to a British or American group that shave their heads and gather at rock concerts or engage in white supremacist demonstrations
plug-ugly, tough guy - someone who bullies weaker people
Adj.1.tough - not given to gentleness or sentimentalitytough - not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough character"
hard - dispassionate; "took a hard look"; "a hard bargainer";
insensitive - deficient in human sensibility; not mentally or morally sensitive; "insensitive to the needs of the patients"
tender - given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality; "a tender heart"; "a tender smile"; "tender loving care"; "tender memories"; "a tender mother"
2.tough - very difficulttough - very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough life"; "it was a tough job"
difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"
3.tough - physically toughenedtough - physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet"
rugged - sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; "with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture"
experienced, experient - having experience; having knowledge or skill from observation or participation
strong - having strength or power greater than average or expected; "a strong radio signal"; "strong medicine"; "a strong man"
untoughened, tender - physically untoughened; "tender feet"
4.tough - substantially made or constructedtough - substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves"; "sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some plastics are as tough as metal"
rugged - sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; "with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture"
5.tough - violent and lawlesstough - violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough street gangs"
violent - acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity; "a violent attack"; "a violent person"; "violent feelings"; "a violent rage"; "felt a violent dislike"
6.tough - feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad')tough - feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad'); "my throat feels bad"; "she felt bad all over"; "he was feeling tough after a restless night"
colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
uncomfortable - providing or experiencing physical discomfort; "an uncomfortable chair"; "an uncomfortable day in the hot sun"
7.tough - resistant to cutting or chewing
inedible, uneatable - not suitable for food
tender - easy to cut or chew; "tender beef"
8.tough - unfortunate or hard to beartough - unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough break"
bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice"
9.tough - making great mental demandstough - making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic situation at home"
difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

tough

adjective
1. strong, determined, aggressive, high-powered, feisty (informal, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), hard-nosed (informal), self-confident, unyielding, carnivorous (informal), hard as nails, self-assertive, badass (slang, chiefly U.S.) She is tough and ambitious.
strong soft, weak, delicate
2. hardy, strong, seasoned, fit, strapping, hardened, vigorous, sturdy, stout, stalwart, resilient, brawny, hard as nails He's small, but he's tough, and I expect him to do well in the match.
3. violent, rough, vicious, ruthless, pugnacious, hard-bitten, ruffianly, badass (slang, chiefly U.S.) He shot three people, earning his reputation as a tough guy.
4. rough, wild, criminal, violent, lawless, badass (slang, chiefly U.S.) She doesn't seem to be cut out for this tough neighbourhood.
rough soft, gentle, tender, humane, civilized
5. harsh, hard, awful, grim, unpleasant, bleak, austere, spartan, straitened She had a pretty tough childhood.
7. hard, difficult, exhausting, troublesome, uphill, strenuous, arduous, thorny, laborious, irksome Whoever wins the election is going to have a tough job.
8. difficult, hard, puzzling, baffling, troublesome, perplexing, thorny, knotty It was a tough decision but I think we made the right one.
difficult easy, easy-peasy (slang)
10. chewy, fibrous, leathery, stringy, sinewy, gristly The steak was tough and the peas were like bullets.
noun
1. ruffian, heavy (slang), rough (informal), bully, thug, hooligan, brute, rowdy, bravo, bully boy, bruiser (informal), roughneck (slang), boot boy, tsotsi (S. African) Three burly toughs elbowed their way to the front.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

tough

adjective
1. Physically toughened so as to have great endurance:
2. Capable of exerting considerable effort or of withstanding considerable stress or hardship:
3. Requiring great or extreme bodily, mental, or spiritual strength:
4. Not easy to do, achieve, or master:
5. Marked by vigorous physical exertion:
6. Rigorous and unsparing in treating others:
7. Indicating or possessing determination, resolution, or persistence:
noun
1. A rough, violent person who engages in destructive actions:
Informal: toughie.
Slang: hood, punk.
2. A person who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire:
Informal: hooligan.
Slang: goon, gorilla, hood.
phrasal verb
tough out
Slang. To carry on through despite hardships:
Slang: sweat out.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
شَخْص عَنيف أو جِلْفصَلْب، قادِر على تَحَمُّل المَصاعِبعَسير المَضْغعَنيفقَاسٍ
pevnýtěžkýtuhýdivokýhrubý
barskbarsk fyrbøllehårdsej
ankarahankalakovakovissitkeä
čvrst
rágósstrammszívós
erfiîur, harîurgrófur, ágengur, ofbeldishneigîurhrotti, ribbaldiseigursterkur
丈夫な
질긴
mušeikaužgrūdinti
cietsgrūtshuligāniskshuligānsizturīgs
lotor
hudmočenostertrdžilav
tuff
ที่ทนทาน
gai góc

tough

[tʌf]
A. ADJ (tougher (compar) (toughest (superl)))
1. (= robust) → fuerte
granny may be old, but she's toughpuede que la abuela sea vieja, pero es fuerte
to be (as) tough as old boots [person] → ser fuerte como un roble
2. (= hard, uncompromising) [person] → duro; [neighbourhood, school] → peligroso
tough customertío/a m/f duro/a
tough guytipo m duro
tough nuttío/a m/f duro/a
to do some tough talkinghablar sin rodeos
3. (= resistant) [substance, material] → fuerte, resistente; [skin] → duro
4. (= not tender) [meat] → duro
the steak was as tough as old bootsel filete estaba duro como la suela de un zapato
5. (= harsh) [policies] → duro, de mano dura; [measures] → duro; [teacher, parent] → severo
to take a tough line on sthadoptar una línea dura con respecto a algo
to take a tough line with sbponerse duro con algn
to be tough on sbser duro con algn
6. (= difficult) [way of life, situation, day] → duro, difícil; [choice, question] → difícil; [competition] → fuerte
it's a tough job being Prime Ministeres duro ser primer ministro
it's a tough job, but somebody has to do ites un trabajo duro, pero alguien tiene que hacerlo
it's tough when you have kidses difícil cuando tienes niños
it will be tough to finish it in timeva a ser difícil acabarlo a tiempo
his team will be tough to beatsu equipo será difícil de vencer, va a ser difícil vencer a su equipo
it was tough trying to raise the cashfue difícil conseguir el dinero
he has found it tough going this yeareste año se le ha hecho muy cuesta arriba, este año le ha resultado muy difícil
when the going gets toughcuando las cosas se ponen difíciles
to have a tough time (of it)pasarlo mal or fatal, pasar las de Caín
when the going gets tough, the tough get goingla gente con arrestos se crece ante las adversidades
7. (set expressions)
tough!, tough luck!¡mala suerte!
that's your tough luck!¡te fastidias!
tough shitte jodes
B. N (= thug) → matón m, macarra m
C. VT to tough it outaguantar el tipo
D. ADV
1. to act/talk toughhacerse el duro
2. (US) to hang toughmantenerse firme
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tough

[ˈtʌf]
adj
(= strong, brave) [person, animal] → solide
She's tough. She can take it → Elle est solide. Elle tiendra le coup.
(= rough) [person] → dur(e); [school, area] → dur(e)
a tough guy → un dur
He thinks he's a tough guy → Il se prend pour un dur.
(= strong) [material] → solide
tough leather gloves → de solides gants en cuir
(= hard to chew) [meat] → dur(e), coriace
The meat's tough → La viande est coriace.
(= difficult) [task, problem, situation] → dur(e) often before n; [journey] → pénible
It was tough, but I managed OK → C'était dur, mais je m'en suis tiré.
It's a tough job → C'est un dur travail.
to have a tough time → traverser une période difficile
(= strict) → dur(e)
tough luck! (sympathetically)pas de chance!; (unsympathetically)tant pis pour toi!, tant pis pour vous!
tough! → tant pis pour toi!, tant pis pour vous!
n
(= gangster) → dur mtough cookie ndur(e) m/f à cuire
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tough

adj (+er)
zäh; (= resistant)widerstandsfähig; clothstrapazierfähig; membranewiderstandsfähig; skinrau; (towards others) → hart, knallhart (inf); bargaining, negotiator, opponent, fight, struggle, lessonhart; district, cityhart, rau; as tough as leatherzäh wie Leder (inf); (as) tough as old boots (Brit hum inf) or shoe leather (US hum inf) → zäh wie Leder (inf); he’ll get over it, he’s pretty tougher wird schon darüber hinwegkommen, er ist hart im Nehmen (inf); to get tough (with somebody) (physically) → grob werden (mit jdm or gegen jdn), handgreiflich werden (gegen jdn); (fig)hart durchgreifen (gegen jdn); tough guy (inf)(knall)harter Kerl or Bursche (inf); getting him to agree took some tough talkinger musste ganz schon bearbeitet werden, damit er zustimmte
(= difficult) task, problemhart; journeystrapaziös, anstrengend; choiceschwierig; competitionhart, zäh; it was tough going (lit, fig)es war eine Strapaze or ein Schlauch m (inf); to have a tough time of itnichts zu lachen haben; I had a tough time controlling my angeres fiel mir schwer, meinen Zorn unter Kontrolle zu halten; it’s a tough job being Prime MinisterPremierminister zu sein, ist eine schwierige Aufgabe or ein harter Job (inf); it’s tough when you have kidses ist schwierig, wenn man Kinder hat; it must have been tough being or to be a child in the warfür ein Kind muss die Zeit während des Krieges sehr schwer gewesen sein; she’s a tough customersie ist zäh wie Leder (inf)
(= strict) policy, controlshart; to take a tough line with somebody/on somethingbei jdm/einer Sache eine starre Haltung einnehmen
(inf: = unfortunate) → hart; that’s pretty tough!das ist ganz schön hart!; it was tough on the othersdas war hart für die andern; tough (luck)!Pech!; tough luck on TaylorPech für Taylor; tough shit (sl)Scheißpech nt (inf)
n (inf)Schlägertyp m (pej inf), → (knall)harter Bursche (inf)
adv (+er) (inf) to treat somebody toughjdn hart rannehmen; to talk toughgroße Sprüche machen; to act toughhart durchgreifen; to hang toughunnachgiebig festhalten
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tough

[tʌf]
1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))
a. (substance, fabric) → resistente, duro/a; (conditions, regulations) → duro/a; (meat) → duro/a, tiglioso/a; (journey) → faticoso/a, duro/a; (task, problem, situation) → difficile (fig) (resistance) → tenace; (fight) → accanito/a
as tough as old boots → duro/a come una suola di scarpa
tough opposition → opposizione tenace
b. (person, hardy, resilient) → robusto/a, resistente; (mentally strong) → resistente, tenace; (hard, in character) → inflessibile; (rough) → violento/a, brutale
they got tough with the workers → hanno adottato una politica inflessibile con i lavoratori
he's a tough man to deal with → è un tipo difficile
a tough guy → un duro
he's a tough customer (fam) → è un osso duro
c. (fam) (unfortunate) but it was tough on the othersma è stata una sfortuna per gli altri
if you can't get here on time, that's your tough luck! (unsympathetic) → se non ce la fai ad arrivare in orario, peggio per te!
2. n (fam) (gangster, lout) → delinquente m/f
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

tough

(taf) adjective
1. strong; not easily broken, worn out etc. Plastic is a tough material.
2. (of food etc) difficult to chew.
3. (of people) strong; able to bear hardship, illness etc. She must be tough to have survived such a serious illness.
4. rough and violent. It's a tough neighbourhood.
5. difficult to deal with or overcome. a tough problem; The competition was really tough.
noun
a rough, violent person; a bully.
ˈtoughness noun
ˈtoughen verb
to make or become tough.
tough luck
bad luck. That was tough luck.
get tough with (someone)
to deal forcefully with or refuse to yield to (a person). When he started to argue, I got tough with him.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

tough

قَاسٍ pevný barsk zäh σκληρός fuerte vahva dur čvrst duro 丈夫な 질긴 taai tøff nieustępliwy resistente жесткий tuff ที่ทนทาน sağlam gai góc 强硬的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

tough

adj duro
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
When the doors of the Asile de Nuit were closed to them, Strickland and Captain Nichols sought the hospitality of Tough Bill.
no, no, Jack," cries the uncle, "the hearts of women are not so soon broke; they are tough, boy, they are tough." "But, sir," answered Nightingale, "my own affections are engaged, and I never could be happy with any other woman.
In Cincinnati he had lived in a neighborhood where gangs of tough boys prowled through the streets, and all through his early forma- tive years he ran about with tough boys.
The lower subdivided part, called the junk, is one immense honeycomb of oil, formed by the crossing and re-crossing, into ten thousand infiltrated cells, of tough elastic white fibres throughout its whole extent.
At last there is a lair found out where Toughy, or the Tough Subject, lays him down at night; and it is thought that the Tough Subject may be Jo.
"And dreadfully tough," added the Hungry Tiger, in a sad voice.
I had a few months still to run before I was seventeen; I scorned the thought of a steady job at anything; I felt myself a pretty tough individual in a group of pretty tough men; and I drank because these men drank and because I had to make good with them.
Just the same, he's better stock than that tough crowd you run with, if he can't make a livin' an' keep his wife in three pairs of shoes.
His rod was a tough stalk of grass, his line was a fine long white horse-hair, and he tied a little wriggling worm at the end.
Again I say it is a great pity that criticism is not honest about the masterpieces of literature, and does not confess that they are not every moment masterly, that they are often dull and tough and dry, as is certainly the case with Dante's.
Don't I always say that to be good, a whale-steak must be tough? There are those sharks now over the side, don't you see they prefer it tough and rare?
MAKING them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the in- scription was going to be the toughest of all.