tuff

[ tuhf ]

/ tʌf /

adjective Slang.

tough(def 13).

Nearby words

tues., tuesday, tuesdays, tuf, tufa, tuff, tuffet, tuffstone body, tuft, tufted, tufted cell

Definition for tuff (2 of 2)

tuff

[ tuhf ]

/ tʌf /

noun Geology.

a fragmental rock consisting of the smaller kinds of volcanic detritus, as ash or cinder, usually more or less stratified.

Origin of tuff

1560–70; < French tuf < Italian tufo. See tufa

Also called volcanic tuff.

Related forms

tuff·a·ceous

[tuh-fey-shuh s] /tʌˈfeɪ ʃəs/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tuff

All of them, Tuff and Kellie and Clyde and Elsie, like to take this wherever they go: He died doing what he wanted to do.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy|Peter Richmond|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“This is all we live for,” Tuff Hedeman was saying on the Astrodome floor, far removed from Willie and his friends.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy|Peter Richmond|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tuff and Tracie and Kellie lost count of the hours they spent waiting on Lane after the rodeos.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy|Peter Richmond|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like her last name would suggest, Tuff really has been through a lot.
The Woman Who Stopped a School Shooting|Caitlin Dickson|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Tuff cared for Derrick and his older sister, LaVita, while working two or three jobs at a time.
The Woman Who Stopped a School Shooting|Caitlin Dickson|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That tuff he considers a product of the latest eruption of the volcano.
The Geological Evidence of The Antiquity of Man|Charles Lyell
Humurous lekturs, without the aid ov canvass or pantomime, are tuff tew do.
Josh Billings on Ice|Henry Wheeler Shaw
Among the ruins will be seen skeletons of men, and impressions of the human form stamped in solid rocks of tuff.
Principles of Geology|Charles Lyell
Bread solid, beef stake about az thik az a blister plaster, and so tuff az a hounds ear.
The Complete Works of Josh Billings|Henry W. Shaw
The people that are getting it up—er, well, I'm afraid they're not very friendly to me, Tuff.
Tin-Types Taken in the Streets of New York|Lemuel Ely Quigg

British Dictionary definitions for tuff

tuff

/ (tʌf) /

noun

a rock formed by the fusing together on the ground of small rock fragments (less than 2 mm across) ejected from a volcano

Derived Forms

tuffaceous (tʌˈfeɪʃəs), adjective

Word Origin for tuff

C16: from Old French tuf, from Italian tufo; see tufa

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for tuff

tuff

[ tŭf ]

A rock made up of particles of volcanic ash, varying in size from fine sand to coarse gravel.