tough

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Difficult to do or deal with.

   Losing the match was a tough moment for the whole team.

2. 2
   adj

   Strong and able to last; not easily damaged.

   The tent was made of tough canvas that survived years of camping.

3. 3
   adj

   Hard to cut or chew.

   The steak was so tough that I could barely chew it.

4. 4
   adj

   Strict, firm, or not easily moved.

   She is a tough negotiator who never backs down.

5. 5
   adj

   Physically strong and able to handle hardship.

   Only a tough species can survive in the desert.

Common collocations

• tough guy Adjective + noun
• tough kid Adjective + noun
• tough fight Adjective + noun

From Middle English tough, towgh, tou, toȝ, from Old English tōh (“tough, tenacious, holding fast together; pliant; sticky, glutinous, clammy”), from Proto-West Germanic *tą̄h(ī), from Proto-Germanic *tanhuz (“fitting; clinging; tenacious; tough”), from *tinganą (“to press upon, throng”), from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian toai (“tough”), Bavarian zaach, zach (“tough”), Dutch taai (“tough”), German zäh, zähe (“tough”), Limburgish tiee (“tough”), Luxembourgish zéi (“tough”); also Ancient Greek δάκνω (dáknō, “to bite”), Albanian danë, darë (“tong…

Topics