toughen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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toughens,
present (3rd person singular)
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toughened,
past participle, past
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toughening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
toughensimple
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toughenssimple
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have toughenedperfect
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has toughenedperfect
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am tougheningprogressive
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are tougheningprogressive
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is tougheningprogressive
-
have been tougheningperfect progressive
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has been tougheningperfect progressive
Past
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toughenedsimple
-
had toughenedperfect
-
was tougheningprogressive
-
were tougheningprogressive
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had been tougheningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of toughen
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.
See Examples For:
Hurley’s brutal training sessions do more than toughen his team up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
A bipartisan bill released Thursday would toughen penalties against preparers who improperly handle returns.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
The spokesman also said the independent review would explore "how we can go even further to toughen up the safeguards in place against illicit money from abroad", including cryptocurrencies.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
This week, Japan's new environment minister vowed to toughen bear controls, including by "training government hunters".
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
But Brave Orchid would not relent; her dainty sister would just have to toughen up.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
"Being here toughens you up over a period of time," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The Sixers’ schedule toughens up next week with a game against Chicago, the 12th team in the East.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
They are challenging to get rid of, too: The eggs are protected inside the mother’s body, which toughens after death into a cyst that can survive in the soil for years.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 27, 2022
Wednesday's draft toughens this up for over-50s by removing the option of taking a test rather than vaccination.
From Reuters ● Jan. 5, 2022
The only thing that changed is that he calls me Space Boy twice as often, which only toughens my resolve not to press the button.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Miliband was pressed on whether he expected the government's toughened stance on Israel to result in an increased threat to British Jews during his Commons appearance on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
What is different this time is they think the modelling is outdated, and the language seems to have toughened.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Europe, where governments have toughened their policies under pressure from the far right, "cannot claim to uphold human dignity while growing accustomed to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic becoming unmarked graves", he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Those calls intensified after Canada’s broadcaster regulator toughened those rules further, increasing the financial obligations of US streamers like Netflix.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Needlelike claws were scraping at the toughened material of her uniform.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
McVay understands that the “old-school way” of toughening and preparing players for a season can be achieved without “killing us on the field,” Adams said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Whilst countries differ in their approaches to tackling antisemitism – from toughening laws to improving education – they also identify common experiences, with near universal concern about the role of social media and artificial intelligence.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The British government said it had taken inspiration from Denmark, which has driven asylum applications to its lowest level in 40 years after toughening its own immigration stance.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Legal scholars, however, say the recent criticism of provisional sentences ignores more than a decade of legislation and jurisprudence aimed at toughening up a legal system that can take years to reach a final verdict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
“He needs some toughening up—y’all being too soft on him!”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
