Meanings
- idiomaticuncountableA situation resulting in misfortune or hardship; an instance of bad luck.
When you pulled that job in Westchester two years ago, I'll admit you got a tough break.
2014, Frederick Nebel, Will Murray, Tough as Nails, Head of Zeus, page 301 more example
So I close by saying that I might have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.
1998, Cal Ripken, Mike Bryan, The Only Way I Know, Penguin Publishing Group, page 389
- idiomaticAn interjection of mild or insincere sympathy for someone else's misfortune.
Tough break, Linda.
1966, Charles Dizenzo, A Great Career, Dramatists Play Service, page 161 more example
My reaction? Tough break, chump.
1990, Rickley S. Christian, Alive 2, Campus Life Books, page 120Synonyms: bad luck, hard cheese, hard lines, hard luck, tough cookies, tough luck, tough shit, tough titties
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionAn interjection of mild or insincere sympathy for someone else's misfortune.
Cite this entry
tough break. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tough%20break
“tough break.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tough%20break. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tough break,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tough%20break.
Source: tough break on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.