Collocation Dictionary

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Common collocations with tough in British Collocation

tough adjective

UK /tʌf/

game or race

battle
challenge
draw
encounter
fight
fixture
game
match
race

Completing the course was one of the toughest psychological challenges I’ve taken.

decision

choice
decision

She always chickened out of tough decisions.

job

assignment
job
task

I personally think this is a tough task.

exercise

climb
workout

The view from the top of the hill is certainly worth the somewhat tough climb.

talks or question

negotiations
question

You should therefore be prepared for some tough negotiations to get what you may feel is a fair deal.

rather

fairly
pretty
quite
rather

He had been in the business twenty years, and thought he was pretty tough.

very

exceptionally
extremely
incredibly
really
remarkably
very

Few women have this combination of characteristics – being both immensely beautiful and incredibly tough.

mentally

emotionally
mentally

Some athletes are mentally tough enough not to need additional support in this area.

determined
gritty
resilient
resourceful
rough
streetwise
tenacious
tough
uncompromising

We know how tough and resilient the Russian people are and always have been.

become tough

become
get

The police are getting tough on illegal traders.

be tough

be
remain

The Prime Minister says he will be tough on crime.

behave in a tough way

talk

At first, their leaders talked tough , for example threatening mass strikes and disobedience.

seem tough

appear
seem

The Church’s rule of celibacy for priests might seem tough, but in previous times it was not seen to be such a difficult option.