Synonyms

tough break

Idioms

Also, tough luck. A trying or troublesome circumstance, bad luck, as in He got a tough break when he was denied a raise, or Tough luck for the team last night. This idiom uses tough in the sense of “difficult,” a usage dating from the early 1600s. The variant is also used as a sarcastic interjection, as in So you didn't make straight A's—tough luck! A slangy variant of this interjection is tough beans, and a ruder version is tough shit. [Colloquial; c. 1900]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is a tough break, but it may not be as bad as you think.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

“It’s a tough break for us as a team when you see something like that, a great player, a great leader,” cornerback Patrick Surtain II said.

From Washington Times • Jul. 31, 2023

“It’s a tough break for Kurtis,” coach Tim Albin said in a statement released by the school.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2022

“We knew that was a tough break that didn’t go our way. We were all kind of shocked by the decision. We were confident and determined, and the guys stayed with it.”

From Washington Post • May 1, 2022

"It's a tough break, kid, but the sooner you forget her the better."

From The Chameleon Man by McGivern, William P.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

tough break

Example Sentences

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