tough

[tuhf] /tʌf/
adjective, tougher, toughest.
1.
strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
2.
not brittle or tender.
3.
difficult to masticate, as food:
a tough steak.
4.
of viscous consistency, as liquid or semiliquid matter:
tough molasses.
5.
capable of great endurance; sturdy; hardy:
tough troops.
6.
not easily influenced, as a person; unyielding; stubborn:
a tough man to work for.
7.
hardened; incorrigible:
a tough criminal.
8.
difficult to perform, accomplish, or deal with; hard, trying, or troublesome:
a tough problem.
9.
hard to bear or endure (often used ironically):
tough luck.
10.
vigorous; severe; violent:
a tough struggle.
11.
vicious; rough; rowdyish:
a tough character; a tough neighborhood.
12.
practical, realistic, and lacking in sentimentality; tough-minded.
13.
Slang. remarkably excellent; first-rate; great.
adverb
14.
in a tough manner.
noun
15.
a ruffian; rowdy.
Idioms
16.
hang tough, Slang. hang (def 56).
17.
tough it out, Informal. to endure or resist hardship or adversity.
Origin
before 900; Middle English (adj.); Old English tōh; compare Dutch taai, German zäh(e)
Related forms
toughly, adverb
toughness, noun
supertough, adjective
untough, adjective
untoughly, adverb
untoughness, noun
Synonyms
1. firm, hard. 5. durable. 6. inflexible.
Antonyms
1. fragile. 5. feeble, weak.
British Dictionary definitions for tough it out

tough

/tʌf/
adjective
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
noun
8.
a rough, vicious, or pugnacious person
adverb
9.
(informal) violently, aggressively, or intractably: to treat someone tough
10.
(informal) hang tough, to be or appear to be strong or determined
verb
11.
(transitive) (slang) to stand firm, hold out against (a difficulty or difficult situation) (esp in tough it out)
Derived Forms
toughish, adjective
toughly, adverb
Word Origin
Old English tōh; related to Old High German zāhi tough, Old Norse tā trodden ground in front of a house
Word Origin and History for tough it out

tough

adj.

Old English toh "difficult to break or chew," from Proto-Germanic *tankhuz (cf. Middle Low German tege, Middle Dutch taey, Dutch taai, Old High German zach, German zäh). See rough for spelling change.

Figurative sense of "strenuous, difficult, hard to beat" is first recorded c.1200; that of "hard to do, trying, laborious" is from 1610s. Verb tough it "endure the experience" is first recorded 1830, American English. Tough guy first recorded 1932. Tough-minded first recorded 1907 in William James. Tough luck first recorded 1912; tough shit is from 1946.

n.

"street ruffian," 1866, American English, from tough (adj.).

Slang definitions & phrases for tough it out

tough it out

verb phrase

To endure something doggedly and bravely; persist and survive against rigors; hang tough: He's never really had to tough it out in this world of ours/ He is toughing out a feeling that since Mom divorced he is essentially homeless (1830+)


tough

adjective
  1. Difficult; regrettable; unfortunate: That's a tough break, pardner (1883+)
  2. Physically menacing; vicious: Don't act tough with me, you little jerk (1906+)
  3. Excellent; superb; the MOST •Sometimes spelled tuff: That's a really tough set of wheels (1937+ Black)
noun

A hard and menacing person (1866+)

Related Terms

tough it out


Idioms and Phrases with tough it out

tough it out

see: gut it out

tough

also see: