See Also: tough(dictionary)
tough 4, adverb(dictionary)
tough 3, noun(dictionary)
tough 2, verb(dictionary)
tough 1, adjective(dictionary)
Tough on price(finance)
Tough on price(money)
tough-pitch(medicine)
tough-head(medicine)
Tough Out - Roulette(gambling)

tough (iou)



tough adjective, adverb, noun, & verb.

A. adjective.
Of closely cohesive substance or texture, pliable or ductile rather than brittle; not easily broken or divided, strong, durable; (of food) difficult to chew. OE.
Health Now The dermis, the tough fibrous tissue of the skin. Skin Diver A tough impact-resistant thermoplastic housing.
Viscous, sticky, glutinous. Now rare. OE.
Severe, rigorous; (of a contest etc.) strenuously and competitively maintained. ME.
Times Mrs. Marshall had a tough fight in her semi-final.
Able to resist hardship, pain, fatigue, etc., having great physical and mental endurance, hardy. ME.
A. Wilson One of those frail-looking..women who are in fact tough and wiry.
a. Difficult to influence or affect; persistent, stubborn, uncompromising; hardened. ME.
B. Holiday The first woman police judge,..a tough hard-faced old dame.
b. Uncompromising or severe towards opposition etc.; stern, strict, inflexible. (Foll. by on.) E20.
Crisis Tough new measures to deal with this new wave of..terrorism.
Difficult to accomplish or deal with; demanding, laborious, taxing; colloq. (of circumstances, luck, etc.) distressing, unfortunate, unjust (also as interjection, freq. iron.). (Foll. by on.) ME.
R. Rayner To tell you how tough it is to break into screenwriting. N. Sherry The trek to Zigita was short..but extremely tough. I. Banks That's all there is to it and if you don't like it, tough.
b. Hard to believe or understand; taxing credulity or comprehension. Now rare. E19.
Violent, rough, or aggressive, esp. criminally so. L19.
W. T. Stead A district which was decidedly tough. I. McEwan They would all be tough gangsters..hard men.
Very good, excellent, fine. US slang. M20.
Phrases: tough as old boots, tough as leather colloq. very tough.
Special collocations & comb.: tough guy colloq. (a) a rough or violent person; (b) a hard or uncompromising person, a person not easily thwarted. tough love promotion of a person's welfare by enforcing certain constraints on them or requiring them to take responsibility for their actions; (N. Amer.) a political policy designed to encourage self-help by restricting state benefits. tough luck (a) bad luck, misfortune; (b) as interjection (freq. iron.), hard luck! too bad! tough-minded adjective realistic, sceptical, not sentimental or idealistic. tough-mindedness the quality of being tough-minded. tough nut: see NUT noun. tough pitch commercially pure copper in which the amount of cuprous oxide is reduced by poling to minimize brittleness. tough shit, tough stuff, tough titty slang (chiefly N. Amer.) = tough luck (b) above.
b. adverb.
Vigorously, stoutly; persistently. LME-E19.
In an uncompromising, aggressive, or unyielding manner. colloq. M20.
C. noun. A tough person, esp. a rough, violent, or criminal one; a thug, a ruffian. M19.
D. verb trans. Foll. by out: withstand or endure (difficult conditions etc.) to the end without flinching. Freq. with it. M19.
Observer Fraser, it is assumed, will tough out this..crisis. R. Harries Lewis, as it were, bit the bullet and toughed it out.
toughish adjective somewhat tough L18.
toughly adverb LME.
toughness noun LME.