the hard way
noun
: in a way that involves difficult or painful experiences
He found out the hard way that crime doesn't pay.
She insisted on doing things the hard way.
Examples of the hard way in a Sentence
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The Story Behind the Mission Founded in 2023 by Jacob Peters, Max Marchione, and Kevin Unkrich, Superpower’s founders discovered the hard way that critical health data wasn’t reaching the people who needed it most.
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Dasha Shunina, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
The Venezuelan opposition learned this lesson the hard way after President Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999.
—Laura Gamboa, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2025
Vegas learned that the hard way earlier this month in a game against the Buffalo Sabres.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Arizona State University men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond learned about one of those rules the hard way this week ahead of the 2025 Masters tournament.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
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Dasha Shunina, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
The Venezuelan opposition learned this lesson the hard way after President Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999.
—Laura Gamboa, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2025
Vegas learned that the hard way earlier this month in a game against the Buffalo Sabres.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Arizona State University men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond learned about one of those rules the hard way this week ahead of the 2025 Masters tournament.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the hard way
Cite this Entry
“The hard way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20hard%20way. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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