hard time

noun

: 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 Paying for the mission The U.S. is the main donor for the mission, but the Biden administration is having a hard time getting skeptical Republicans in Congress onboard. —

Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024 Buy Now Meet Jason June, the Genderqueer Children's Book Author in 'Love with Love' and Its 'Unpredictability' 09 of 14 'The Insiders' by Mark Oshiro Héctor Muñoz is having a hard time fitting in at his new school in Orangevale; back home in San Francisco, being gay wasn’t a big deal. —

Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024 Earlier in the season, Jax gave Brittany a hard time about packing a bottle of tequila for a girls’ trip. —

Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 21 May 2024 Normally, after my film is showcased at prestigious festivals worldwide, people are having a hard time finding where to watch my films. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 May 2024 An intelligent gesture will deter anyone who tries to give you a hard time. —

Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024 FODMAPs, a group of carbs that some people have a really hard time digesting. —

Marygrace Taylor, SELF, 2 May 2024 The community the women gained from classes has also inspired them to give back to other women who might be having a hard time. —

Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024 Virginia Foxx, the Republican congresswoman from North Carolina, has spent the last few months giving elite schools a hard time. —

Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.