tough

«tough» in Mova's school dictionary: strong and not easily broken, cut or damaged: «tough boots» — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adjective (tough, tougher, toughest); noun (a tough — informal); verb (tough it out)

meaning for a pupil

1) Tough means strong and not easily broken, cut or damaged: «tough boots». tree →

2) Tough means hard to do or difficult: «a tough test». tree →

3) A tough person is strong in body or mind and can deal with pain or problems. tree →

4) Tough food (like meat) is hard to cut or chew. tree →

5) Tough means strict and firm: «tough rules». tree →

6) «Tough!» or «Tough luck» is said, rather rudely, to mean «too bad». tree →

sense in the lessons

In school, «a tough question» or «a tough day» means hard. In science, «tough» materials resist breaking; scientists choose tough plastics for helmets. In stories a tough character is brave and does not give up. In PE, «tough it out» means keep going. Phrases: «tough luck», «a tough time», «tough it out», «get tough with».

examples

• These boots are tough enough for hiking. tree →
• The maths test was tough. tree →
• She is tough and never gives up. tree →
• This steak is too tough to chew. tree →
• We've had a tough week. tree →
• The new head is tough on bad behaviour. tree →
• Being tough doesn't mean you can't cry. tree →
• He tied the Mouse's leg to his own with a tough reed. tree →

note

Pronounced «tuff» (ough = «uff», as in «enough», «rough»). Comparative: tougher, toughest. Noun: toughness. Myth: tough people never cry or ask for help — asking for help is brave.

In the corpora

• Horse teeth keep growing out and wearing down on tough grass, so a vet can guess a horse's age from its teeth.
• No real animal breathes fire; the bombardier beetle sprays a nearly boiling chemical mix from a tough chamber at attackers.
• Ostriches swallow pebbles, which collect in the gizzard and grind tough food, because birds have no teeth.
• Scientists breed tougher corals and plant them back on damaged reefs.
• It is so tough that ginkgos near the Hiroshima bomb sprouted again from their roots, kept safe under the soil.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «tough» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.