✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

have a hard time

idiom

: to experience difficulty doing something
She's having a hard time living within her budget.
The school has had a hard time recruiting substitute teachers.
He's been having a hard time with his research paper.

Examples of have a hard time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Fans have a hard time thinking that Darnold wouldn't have had the Vikings in much better shape had the team re-signed him. Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025 The former track athlete doesn’t have a hard time keeping pace with wide receivers downfield. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025 In religion, progressives have a hard time admitting matters of faith as legitimate concerns in civic life. George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2025 One of the climbers struggled on the approach, and the other had a hard time on the route. Maya Silver, Outside, 18 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for have a hard time

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Have a hard time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have%20a%20hard%20time. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!