tough

/tʌf/ adjective

Definition

DIFFICULT › difficult: He's had a tough time at work recently. We've had to make some tough decisions.

SEVERE › Tough rules are severe: tough new laws on noise pollution

STRONG THING › not easily damaged, cut, etc: Children's shoes have to be tough. This meat's very tough.

STRONG PERSON › physically strong and not afraid of violence: a tough guy

DETERMINED › determined and not easily upset: You have to be tough to survive in politics.

UNFAIR › unfair or unlucky: It can be tough on kids when parents get divorced.

(Definition of tough adjective from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

to do something that spoils someone's plans

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