toughen

Word family  noun toughness adjective tough verb toughen adverb toughly tough toughly

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++tough·en /ˈtʌfən/ (also toughen up) verb [intransitive, transitive]  HARDSTRONG PERSONto become tougher, or to make someone or something tougher （使）变坚韧；（使）变坚强 toughened glass 强化玻璃 Three years in the army toughened him up. 在部队的三年使他更加坚强了。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

toughen• The schools claimed to toughen boys, and they did.• The state is toughening its anti-smoking laws.• Governor Bush has made his mark building prisons, toughening laws on juvenile crime and calling for lower property taxes.• Even better would be cake flour, which contains even less of those toughening proteins, she said.• Just the opposite is true with cake, muffin or quick-bread recipes where too much gluten will toughen the finished product.• Both conservatives and Communists have simply toughened their attitude to the government.• Thus, cotton consists of cellulose; and so does wood, though wood is toughened with lignin.

tough·en verbChineseSyllable  

make someone to tougher become or tougher, or to something Corpus

toughen
tough‧en /ˈtʌfən/ (also toughen up) verb [intransitive and transitive]to become tougher, or to make someone or something tougher:
    toughened glass
    Three years in the army toughened him up.

tough·enBrE /ˈtʌfn/ 🔊NAmE /ˈtʌfn/ 🔊 verbpresent simple - I / you / we / they toughen BrE /ˈtʌfn/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈtʌfn/ 🔊present simple - he / she / it toughens BrE /ˈtʌfnz/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈtʌfnz/ 🔊past simple toughened BrE /ˈtʌfnd/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈtʌfnd/ 🔊past participle toughened BrE /ˈtʌfnd/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈtʌfnd/ 🔊 -ing form toughening BrE /ˈtʌfnɪŋ/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈtʌfnɪŋ/ 🔊 [transitive, intransitive] ~ (sth) (up) to become or make sth stronger, so that it is not easily cut, broken, etc. （使）坚硬，坚固◆toughened glass钢化玻璃 [transitive] ~ sth (up) to make sth such as laws or rules stricter 加强，强化（法律、规定等）◆The government is considering toughening up the law on censorship. 政府正在考虑强化书报电影审查方面的法律。🔊🔊 [transitive] ~ sb (up) to make sb stronger and more able to deal with difficult situations 使更坚强；使坚韧