Tough Very Common

/tʌf/

Tough has 16 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Adjective · Intj

Definitions

Noun

someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

"The ring announcer warned that tonight's challenger was a tough street fighter, not a pro."

street fighter tough

an aggressive and violent young criminal

"The neighborhood kids stayed out of his way because he was known as a tough in the area who didn't tolerate rivals."

hood hoodlum goon punk thug tough toughie strong-armer

a cruel and brutal fellow

"The new manager was known as tough, often yelling at employees for minor mistakes without any regard for their feelings."

bully tough hooligan ruffian roughneck rowdy yob yobo yobbo

A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.

"The local tough was known for intimidating shopkeepers into giving him their best products without paying a dime."

In plain English: A tough person is someone who stays strong and doesn't give up even when things are very difficult.

"The rough patches on this road are real tough, so drive carefully."

Verb

To endure.

"She was tough through the entire marathon despite her blistered feet."

In plain English: To tough is to make something hard or strong by pressing it firmly against another object.

"The coach had to tough out the final minutes of the game without any players available."

Adjective

not given to gentleness or sentimentality

"a tough character"

tough

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"

rugged tough

physically toughened

"the tough bottoms of his feet"

tough toughened

substantially made or constructed

"sturdy steel shelves"

"sturdy canvas"

"a tough all-weather fabric"

"some plastics are as tough as metal"

sturdy tough

violent and lawless

"the more ruffianly element"

"tough street gangs"

ruffianly 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"

bad tough

resistant to cutting or chewing

"The steak was so tough that I couldn't cut it even with a sharp knife."

tough

unfortunate or hard to bear

"had hard luck"

"a tough break"

hard tough

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"

baffling elusive knotty problematic problematical tough

Strong and resilient; sturdy.

"The old oak tree stood tough against the fierce winter storm, its branches bending but never breaking."

In plain English: Tough means strong and able to handle hard situations without giving up.

"The job market is tough right now, so finding a new position will take some time."

Usage: Use tough to describe materials that are hard to break or people who remain strong under pressure, rather than simply meaning difficult. It often functions as an intensifier in phrases like "a tough nut to crack," where it implies resilience against challenges.

Intj

Used to indicate lack of sympathy

"Stop feeling sorry for him; he's tough and doesn't need your pity."

Example Sentences

"The job market is tough right now, so finding a new position will take some time." adj

"The rough patches on this road are real tough, so drive carefully." noun

"The coach had to tough out the final minutes of the game without any players available." verb

Origin

The word "tough" comes from Old English, where it originally described something that was sticky or glutinous. Over time, the meaning shifted in Middle English to refer to materials that are hard and resistant to breaking.

Rhyming Words

hugh eugh augh lugh vugh ough pugh cough teugh yeugh nough baugh sough dough rough gough hough bough heugh laugh

Compare