toughen

[tuhf-uhn]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become tough or tougher.

   Synonyms: stiffen, strengthen, firm, harden

toughen

/ ˈtʌfən /

verb

1. to make or become tough or tougher

Other Word Forms

• toughener noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of toughen¹

First recorded in 1575–85; tough + -en ¹

Example Sentences

Another theory is that Euro phenoms arrive toughened up by playing against older men.

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“We had to rough him up, toughen him up. Every drill, we tried to beat him.”

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Such prohibitions exist in dozens of states, but many doctors, nurses and policymakers want to toughen them up as a buttress against private equity’s influence in the sector.

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European Union officials have also toughened their language against Israel in recent weeks.

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A tribunal then ruled low-interest shareholder loans should not be excluded from the scope of the APTs, and that changes made to toughen up the regulations also breached competition law.

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Related Words

• strengthen