| 释义 |
adjective | verb | adverb | noun toughtough1 /tʌf/ ●●● S1 W2 adjective ETYMOLOGYtough1Origin: Old English toh ► a tough call It was a tough call (=difficult decision), but we had to cancel the event. ► a tough cookie/customer (=someone who is very determined to do what they want) ► get tough on Jordan has promised to get tough on drugs (=deal with them in a strict way). ► taking a tough line on The president is taking a tough line on (=being very strict about) trade issues. ► a tough break The accident was a tough break for the young dancer. ► had some tough luck We’ve had some tough luck lately, but that’s going to turn around. ► a tough guy Everyone thinks Jack is a tough guy, but he’s really very sweet. THESAURUSnot easy to do, understand, or deal with► difficultnot easy to do, understand, or deal with: His accent was difficult to understand. A lot of students find calculus difficult. ► hard making you tired because you have to use a lot of physical or mental effort: Chopping wood is hard work. The midterms were harder than I expected. ► tough very difficult to do or deal with. Tough sounds more informal than difficult: Doctors have to make tough decisions about who to treat first. ► awkward difficult to deal with or handle: The big pieces of wood were awkward to carry. ► complicated/complex difficult to understand because of having a lot of different parts: The rules of the game are very complicated. ► tricky informal complicated and full of problems: The contract negotiations have been tricky. ► delicate needing to be dealt with carefully or sensitively in order to avoid problems or failure: You must understand that this is a delicate situation, and I cannot discuss it publicly. ► challenging difficult in a way that is interesting and enjoyable: The class is intended to be challenging for students. ► demanding difficult and needing a lot of time, effort, and skill. Used about jobs: Being a nurse is a demanding job. ► daunting so difficult that you do not feel confident about being able to do it: The task may seem a little daunting. ► formidable formal seeming very difficult and needing a lot of effort or skill to do: The city still has a formidable problem of homelessness to deal with. ► grueling/arduous difficult and tiring and continuing for a long time: The race is a grueling 24-hour run across the desert. ► laborious formal difficult and long and needing to be done very slowly and carefully: Making a movie is a laborious process involving a huge amount of work. difficult► hard not easy to do, understand, or deal with: Chemistry was one of the hardest classes I’ve ever taken. The hard part is going to be telling my mother. ► difficult difficult means the same as hard but is a little more formal: It was a difficult test, so I was surprised I passed. ► tough very difficult to do or deal with: Doctors have to make tough decisions about who to treat first. ► complicated/complex difficult to understand because of having a lot of different parts: The rules of the game are very complicated. ► tricky complicated and full of problems: The contract negotiations have been tricky. ► challenging difficult in a way that is interesting and enjoyable: The class is intended to be challenging for students. ► daunting formal so difficult that you do not feel confident about being able to do it: The task may seem a little daunting. ► formidable formal seeming very difficult and needing a lot of skill to deal with: The city still has a formidable problem of homelessness to deal with. having or showing a strong desire to do something even if it is difficult► determinedhaving or showing a strong desire to do something even if it is difficult: Gwen is a very determined woman. He made a determined effort to give up smoking. ► tough having a strong character and determined to succeed, even in difficult situations: She is a tough negotiator and usually gets what she wants. ► persistent continuing to try to do something, even when you do not succeed for a long time: If you want to get a job, you have to be persistent. ► single-minded very determined to achieve one thing and ignoring everything else: He is single-minded in his desire to win the marathon, and he rarely talks about anything else. ► tenacious formal very determined to do something and refusing to stop trying: The salesman was tenacious and wouldn’t take no for an answer. ► stubborn determined not to change your ideas or what you are doing, even when this seems unreasonable: If lawmakers continue to be stubborn and refuse to work together, the country will continue to decline. ► resolute formal very determined to not change your mind because you believe strongly that you are right: The president remained resolute despite strong opposition from Congress. demanding that rules be obeyed► strictdemanding that rules be obeyed: Mrs. Hart is a strict teacher, but she is good. ► firm dealing with someone or something in a determined way and showing that you are not going to change your mind: It’s important to be firm with young children. ► tough very strict and determined to be obeyed: The new governor has promised to be tough on criminals. ► stern strict in a serious, disapproving, and unfriendly way: The teacher had a stern expression on his face. ► harsh too strict, severe, or unkind: One of the teachers was very harsh with the children and often yelled at them. ► authoritarian very strict and punishing people if they do not obey. Used especially about governments: The population has lived under an authoritarian government for more than 40 years. 1DIFFICULT difficult to do or deal with, and needing a lot of effort and determination SYN hard, difficult: Being the new kid at school is always tough. The reporters were asking a lot of tough questions. It was a tough call (=difficult decision), but we had to cancel the event.► see thesaurus at difficult, hard12STRONG PERSON very determined and able to deal with or live through difficult or severe conditions: She’s only a kid, but she’s tough.a tough cookie/customer (=someone who is very determined to do what they want)► see thesaurus at determined → see also as tough/hard as nails at nail1 (4)3STRICT very strict or determined: tough on/with Mom was always very tough with us kids. Jordan has promised to get tough on drugs (=deal with them in a strict way). The president is taking a tough line on (=being very strict about) trade issues.► see thesaurus at strict4STRONG THING not easily broken or made weaker: tough durable plastic5FOOD difficult to cut or eat OPP tender: The meat was tough and stringy.6UNFORTUNATE spoken used to describe a situation in which something bad or unlucky has happened to someone, especially to show sympathy for him or her: “She failed the test.” “Oh, that’s tough.” The accident was a tough break for the young dancer. We’ve had some tough luck lately, but that’s going to turn around.7VIOLENT PERSON likely to behave violently and having no gentle qualities: Everyone thinks Jack is a tough guy, but he’s really very sweet.8VIOLENT AREA a tough part of a town has a lot of crime or violence: a tough neighborhood9(that’s) tough! (also tough luck!) spoken said when you do not have any sympathy for someone’s problems: Tough luck! You should have gotten here earlier.10tough on somebody causing someone a lot of problems or difficulties: This past year was really tough on Jim.11a tough nut (to crack) a person or problem that is difficult to understand or deal with[Origin: Old English toh]—toughly adverb—toughness noun [uncountable] adjective | verb | adverb | noun toughtough2 verb VERB TABLEtough |
| Present | I, you, we, they | tough | | he, she, it | toughs | | Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | toughed | | Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have toughed | | he, she, it | has toughed | | Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had toughed | | Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will tough | | Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have toughed |
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| Present | I | am toughing | | he, she, it | is toughing | | you, we, they | are toughing | | Past | I, he, she, it | was toughing | | you, we, they | were toughing | | Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been toughing | | he, she, it | has been toughing | | Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been toughing | | Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be toughing | | Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been toughing |
► toughed it out They were brave and toughed it out. tough something ↔ out phrasal verb informal to manage to stay in a difficult situation by being determined: They were brave and toughed it out. adjective | verb | adverb | noun toughtough3 adverb informal in a way that shows that you are determined or strong → see also talk tough at talk1 (24) adjective | verb | adverb | noun toughtough4 noun [countable] old-fashioned someone who often behaves in a violent way |