hard time
noun
US
: a long or difficult prison sentence
He could be facing hard time for his crimes.
Examples of hard time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unions, which were unhappy with the prospect of any industry consolidation may give Paramount a hard time and may not want to play ball.
—
David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Tulsa King centers around mobster Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone), who, after serving hard time in New York, is sent (or rather exiled) to Oklahoma.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
But students everywhere were having a hard time finding affordable housing.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Rescuers took the eagle to an animal hospital, but despite medicine, the bird continued to shake and was having a hard time breathing.
—Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard time
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Tulsa King centers around mobster Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone), who, after serving hard time in New York, is sent (or rather exiled) to Oklahoma.
—Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
But students everywhere were having a hard time finding affordable housing.
—Calmatters, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Rescuers took the eagle to an animal hospital, but despite medicine, the bird continued to shake and was having a hard time breathing.
—Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard time
Cite this Entry
“Hard time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard%20time. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
