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
Recent Examples on the Web
Any cosmetic procedure comes with the risk of complications, as Queer Eye star Karamo Brown learned the hard way.
—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
As the nation learned the hard way during the Covid-19 pandemic, health is not something that can be cordoned off by immigration status — and this lesson has implications for the next pandemic as well.
—
Rachel E. Fabi,
STAT,
23 June 2026
Maybe your flight was canceled, your luggage disappeared, you got stranded overseas, missed a cruise departure or learned a hard lesson the hard way.
—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
Visiting American sports fans have long learned the hard way that dressing the statue with colorful jerseys, scarfs, hats, anything found in your local Rally House, has only meant that team would suffer a knockout blow at the home of the local Philly team.
—
CBS News,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for the hard way
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Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
As the nation learned the hard way during the Covid-19 pandemic, health is not something that can be cordoned off by immigration status — and this lesson has implications for the next pandemic as well.
—
Rachel E. Fabi,
STAT,
23 June 2026
Maybe your flight was canceled, your luggage disappeared, you got stranded overseas, missed a cruise departure or learned a hard lesson the hard way.
—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
Visiting American sports fans have long learned the hard way that dressing the statue with colorful jerseys, scarfs, hats, anything found in your local Rally House, has only meant that team would suffer a knockout blow at the home of the local Philly team.
—
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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 30 Jun. 2026.
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