HOW TO PRONOUNCE
tough
/tʌf/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:57
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What does tough mean?
adjective
- Of a material, strong and resilient; sturdy.
- Of food, difficult to cut or chew.
- (figuratively) Of a person or animal, rugged or physically hardy.
More meanings (12)
adjective
- (figuratively) Of a person, stubborn or persistent; capable of stubbornness or persistence.
- (informal) Of weather, harsh or severe.
- (figuratively) Rowdy or rough.
- (figuratively, informal) Of a question, difficult or demanding.
- Undergoing plastic deformation before breaking.
- (figuratively, informal) Strict, not lenient.
- (dated, slang) Cool, awesome, great.
interjection
- (slang) Used to indicate lack of sympathy
noun
- A person who obtains things by force; a thug or bully.
verb
- To endure.
- To toughen.
proper noun
- A surname.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/tʌf/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
“Never mind,” murmured the masked man who carried the big key, in the voice of a ventriloquist, “he’s a tough old fellow.”
“I should have said, my dear Rowland,” said Cecilia, with a laugh, “that your nerves were tough, that your eggs were hard!”
More book examples (3)
In the year I speak of, though no lives were lost, there was, as it seems, a tough struggle in the church.
Is the oak less strong and tough because the mosses and weather-stains stick in all manner of grotesque sketches along its bark?
The dark purple berries, averaging about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, ripen in September, and they contain a tough, musky pulp.