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
Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo have a hard time agreeing on what to listen to in the car.
—
Natasha Dye, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
But Shōgun’s awards run is over until season two, and now Bates is facing a field of competitors who could have a hard time stacking up.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2025
But joint action will be essential, given that many smaller schools are already under economic pressure and will have a hard time resisting government demands, losing their nonprofit status, or finding their students blocked from the country or cut off from loan money.
—Ars Staff, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
Wilson: One of the big insights that came through was that customers have a hard time envisioning their space.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for have a 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.
Natasha Dye, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
But Shōgun’s awards run is over until season two, and now Bates is facing a field of competitors who could have a hard time stacking up.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2025
But joint action will be essential, given that many smaller schools are already under economic pressure and will have a hard time resisting government demands, losing their nonprofit status, or finding their students blocked from the country or cut off from loan money.
—Ars Staff, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
Wilson: One of the big insights that came through was that customers have a hard time envisioning their space.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for have a hard time
Cite this Entry
“Have a hard time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have%20a%20hard%20time. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share