1
- (of a substance or object) strong enough to withstand adverse conditions or rough or careless handling（物质, 物体）坚韧的, 坚固的：
tough rucksacks for climbers.
登山者的耐用背包。
1.1
- (of a person or animal) able to endure hardship or pain; physically robust（人, 动物）能吃苦耐劳的; 强壮的：
she took a tonic, and said that was why she was as tough as old boots.
她喝了一口补药, 然后说那就是她为什么如此健壮的原因。
1.2
- able to protect one's own interests or maintain one's own opinions without being intimidated by opposition; confident and determined强硬的; 自信而坚决的：
she's both sensitive and tough.
她既敏感, 又强硬。
1.3
- demonstrating a strict and uncompromising attitude or approach（态度, 方法）严厉的, 不妥协的：
police have been getting tough with drivers
警察最近对司机严厉起来了
tough new laws on tobacco advertising.
针对烟草广告的严厉的新法律。
1.4
- (of a person) strong and prone to violence（人）粗暴的, 粗鲁的：
tough young teenagers.
粗暴的青少年。
1.5
- (of an area) notorious for violence and crime（地区）充满暴力与犯罪的。
1.6
- (of food, especially meat) difficult to cut or chew（食物, 尤指肉）老的, 难切的, 咬不动的。
2
- involving considerable difficulty or hardship; requiring great determination or effort困难的, 艰苦的; 需很大决心（或努力）的：
the training has been quite tough
训练非常艰苦
he had a tough time getting into a good college.
他好不容易才进了一所好大学。
2.1
- used to express sympathy with someone in an unpleasant or difficult situation不幸的, 倒霉的（对某人所处困境所说的同情话）：
Poor kid. It's tough on her.
可怜的孩子, 她真不幸。
2.2
- often as exclamation used to express a lack of sympathy with someone活该（对某人缺乏同情的说法）：
I feel the way I feel, and if you don't like it, tough.
我就是这么想的, 你要不喜欢, 随你的便。
- informal a rough and violent man〈非正式〉粗暴的人; 有暴力倾向的人。
短语
tough it out
- informal endure a period of hardship or difficulty〈非正式〉坚持到底, 熬过。
tough shit（或titty）
- vulgar slang used to express a lack of sympathy with someone〈粗俚〉活该（表示对某人的不同情）。
派生词
toughish
adjectivetoughly
adverbtoughness
noun词源
Old English tōh, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch taai and German zäh.