tough guy

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.

After that meeting, the US president described Sharaa as a "tough guy" with a "very strong past".

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

"It is possible, but extremely unlikely, Cuomo can catch Mamdani," said Lincoln Mitchell, a political science professor at Columbia University, saying the former governor's "tough guy persona" dates from another era.

From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025

Coran’s Rachel plays a clever tough guy who puts on a vicious façade to avoid an actual fight.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2025

He has since endorsed the former governor in the mayoral primary, saying “we need not a nice guy, but a tough guy like Andrew Cuomo.”

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2025

She was saying I—Joey Dowdel—was a tough guy from Chicago, and this kid was twice my size.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck