Used in a Sentence

tough

How to use tough in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for tough.

Editorial note

That's a cultural problem that's tough to lift.

Examples15
Definitions12
Parts of speech2

Quick take

someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

Meaning at a glance

The clearest senses and uses of tough gathered in one view.

noun

someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

noun

an aggressive and violent young criminal

noun

a cruel and brutal fellow

Definitions

Core meanings and parts of speech for tough.

noun

someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

adjective

not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough character"

adjective

very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough life"; "it was a tough job"

adjective

physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet"

adjective

substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves"; "sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some plastics are as tough as metal"

adjective

violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough street gangs"

adjective

feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally used colloquially for `bad'); "my throat feels bad"; "she felt bad all over"; "he was feeling tough after a restless night"

adjective

resistant to cutting or chewing

adjective

unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough break"

adjective

making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic situation at home"

Example sentences

1

That's a cultural problem that's tough to lift.

2

If they'll do that with a slam dunk case, what will they do to get a conviction when the case is a tough one?

3

I suspect the "tough" interview plays well into a company's PR.

4

That is going to be tough to maintain - especially with welding heat distortion.

5

Beverages are an easy thing for the bean-counters to get approval to cut, so when times get tough, they get cut first.

6

Very few litigants can do that and, indeed, Newegg is to be commended for fighting this all the way against tough odds.

7

But even armed with the ability to bring up Marcus Aurelius at dinner parties, it's tough going.

8

C & d might still be tougher, there's lots of entrenched power structures that still make it difficult for women to arrive into the top jobs.

9

As an individual, you're right, it's tough to do much on your own, since no individual has the same stamina as the forces that we're fighting.

10

Judge Alsup is as fair-minded and talented judge as one could want but he also is a tough judge in terms of managing what he allows to come before his court.

11

"The view is so pixelated it makes decisions tough" Can you imagine military people who fight/fought on the ground in real combat and order in strikes reading that?

12

You have to get through series of examinations that over the years have gotten very _very_ tough: they basically expect you to know things in Physics, Chemistry and Math that - atleast in the US - are not taught till the third year of college.

13

I'm going to say something that's a little tough but it's meant as advice coming from years of mistakes before I finally got my head on the right way: Part of growing up is learning to prioritize what you need to do, even if it isn't fun, over what you like to do.

14

If she's too tough she's marked as an "angry bitch" and will get rejected, if she's not perfectly competent in areas far outside of her job function, she'll be marked as "stupid" and get rejected, etc. etc. Cultivating authority, for a woman, requires a degree of careful presentation and balance that is very hard to do and most men don't have to deal with.

15

As a journalist in the valley, I can just say that the first paragraph he's written here hits the nail right on the fucking head.---"Its tough being a journalist, especially if youre covering technology and living in Silicon Valley, because it seems as if everyone around you is getting fabulously rich while youre stuck in a job that will never, ever make you wealthy.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.

How do you use tough in a sentence?

That's a cultural problem that's tough to lift.

What does tough mean?

someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing

What part of speech is tough?

tough is commonly used as noun, adjective.