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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
tough adj 1 strong and durable; not easily cut, broken, torn or worn out. 2 said of food, especially meat: difficult to chew. 3 said of a person, animal, etc: strong and fit and able to endure hardship. 4 difficult to deal with or overcome; testing • a tough decision. 5 severe and determined; unyielding; resolute • a tough customer. 6 rough and violent; criminal • a tough area. 7 colloq unlucky; unjust; unpleasant • The divorce was tough on the kids. noun a rough violent person, especially a bully or criminal. adverb, colloq aggressively; in a macho way • acts tough when he's with his mates. toughish adj. toughly adverb. toughness noun. get tough with someone colloq to begin to deal with them more strictly or severely.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon toh.
tough something out (often tough it out) to withstand (a difficult, trying, etc situation) stoically or with great endurance, stamina, etc • lost his job and had to tough out the winter with hardly any money for heating. |
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The Chambers Dictionary (13th edition)
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The Chambers Thesaurus
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Chambers Biographical Dictionary
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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
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