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having or causing problems or difficulties 艰苦的；艰难的；棘手的 a tough childhood 苦难的童年 It was a tough decision to make. 那是个很难作的决定。 During the interview I was asked some really tough questions. 面试时，有人问了我一些非常棘手的问题。 Now Karen must make one of the toughest choices of her life. 现在凯伦必须做出她一生中最艰难的选择之一。 She's been having a tough time of it (= a lot of problems) lately. 她最近的日子一直很难熬。 Times are tough at the moment. 眼下时局艰难。 We've got a tough fight ahead. 我们前面还有一场艰苦的战斗。 He faces the toughest test of his leadership so far. 他面临迄今为止对自己的领导工作最严峻的考验。 What was the toughest job you ever had? 你做过的最艰难的工作是什么？ a tough task 艰巨的任务 It can be tough trying to juggle a career and a family. 要事业家庭两不误，有时会很艰难。 He faces tough competition from the rest of the team. 他面临着来自团队其他成员的激烈竞争。 - tough on somebody
Puberty can be tough on kids. 青春期对孩子来说很艰难。 I knew she was going to be tough to beat. 我知道她会很难被打败。
Extra ExamplesHe may find it tough to pursue his plans. 他可能会发现很难继续他的计划。 The strong dollar has made it tough for small businesses. 强势美元使小企业的日子不好过。 Things were pretty tough at first. 起初事情有点棘手。 It's tough out there in the real world. 外面的现实世界有很多不如意。 The next couple of months will be tough, but I'm sure we'll cope. 接下来的几个月会很艰难，但我相信我们会应付的。 It's very tough on the wives when the husbands go off like that. 丈夫那样离开会造成妻子的处境很困难。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- get
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- on
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demanding that particular rules be obeyed and showing a lack of sympathy for any problems that this may cause 严厉的；强硬的；无情的 - tough with somebody/something
It's about time teachers started to get tough with bullies. 现在教师要对横行霸道的学生开始采取严厉措施了。 - tough on somebody/something
Politicians believe they have to be tough on crime. 政客们认为他们必须严厉打击犯罪。 Don't be too tough on him—he was only trying to help. 别对他要求过高，他只是想帮忙。 The school takes a tough line on (= punishes severely) cheating. 学校对作弊行为的惩罚很严厉。 The president is well known for his tough stance on immigrants and asylum-seekers. 总统以其对移民和寻求庇护者的强硬立场而闻名。 tough new anti-terror measures 严厉的新反恐措施 Local traders are calling for tougher action against vandals. 当地商人呼吁对破坏者采取更严厉的行动。
Extra ExamplesHas the government been tough enough on polluters? 政府对造成污染者的态度够强硬吗？ The government has promised to get tough on crime. 政府已经承诺要严厉打击犯罪。 You have to be tough with these young thugs. 对这些年纪轻轻的暴徒态度一定要强硬。 There will be tough new controls on car emissions. 对汽车尾气的排放量将有新的严格控制。 We must take a tough stance against terrorism. 我们一定要采取强硬立场反对恐怖主义。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- become
- get
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- on
- with
- tough with somebody/something
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strong enough to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations 坚强的；健壮的；能吃苦耐劳的；坚韧不拔的 a tough breed of cattle 耐劣等饲养条件的牛种 He's not tough enough for a career in sales. 他干推销这一行缺少足够的韧劲。 She’s a tough cookie/customer (= somebody who knows what they want and is not easily influenced by other people). 她是个有主见的人。 Celine is a fighter, a tough nut. 席琳是一个斗士，一个坚强的人。 How mentally tough are you? 你的精神有多坚强？
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
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(of a person 人 physically strong and likely to be violent 彪悍的；粗暴的；粗野的 You think you're so tough, don't you? 你以为自己够厉害的，是不是？ He plays the tough guy in the movie. 他在电影中扮演硬汉。 Then this guy started acting tough. 然后这个人的行为开始强硬了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- (of a place or area)
with a lot of crime or violence (指地方或者地区)有很多犯罪或者暴力 She grew up in a tough neighbourhood. 她在一个艰苦的社区长大。
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difficult to cut or bite on 难切开的；嚼不烂的；老的 The meat was a bit tough. 肉有点硬。 Overcooking the burger will make it tough and dry. 汉堡煮得太久会变得又硬又干。
not easily cut, broken, torn, etc. 坚固的；不易切开（或打破、撕破等）的 - tough (on somebody) (informal)
unlucky for somebody in a way that seems unfair 不幸的；倒霉的
difficult困难
strict严厉
strong强壮
violent暴力
meat肉
not easily damaged不易损坏
not lucky
Word OriginOld English tōh, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch taai and German zäh.
Idioms
hang tough
- (North American English, informal)
to be determined and refuse to change your attitude or ideas 立场坚定；态度坚决
a hard/tough nut
- (informal)
a person who is difficult to deal with or to influence 难对付的人；难说服的人
a hard/tough nut (to crack)
a difficult problem or situation to deal with 棘手的问题；不好对付的情形
a hard/tough act to follow
a person or event that is so good or successful at something that it will be difficult for anyone/anything else coming after them to be as good or successful 令人望尘莫及的人 She has been an excellent principal and will be a hard act to follow. 她是一位优秀的校长，令人无法与之媲美。 Their contribution will prove a tough act to follow. 他们的贡献令人难以企及。
talk tough (on something)
- (informal, especially North American English)
to tell people very strongly what you want 强硬地说；强烈地要求
(as) tough as old boots | (as) tough as nails (informal)
very strong and able to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations 很强壮；坚韧不拔；雷打不动 She’s almost 90 but she’s still as tough as old boots. 她快90岁了，但仍然像旧靴子一样坚韧。
More Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
tough luck (informal)
used to show sympathy for somebody that something bad that has happened to （表示同情）真不幸，真不走运 - (ironic)
used to show that you do not feel sorry for somebody who has a problem （表示并不同情）该你倒霉
when the going gets tough (the tough get going)
- (saying)
when conditions or progress become difficult (strong and determined people work even harder to succeed) 当条件变得艰苦时，当进展变得困难时（隐含有志者更勇往直前之意）