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.
The entire team had a hard time scoring the basketball, shooting just 30.9 percent from the floor overall and connecting on just 22.2 percent of their three-point attempts. Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025 The rock outfit had a hard time following that effort, and after breaking up for a period, Hootie & the Blowfish eventually reunited, at least for the occasional release. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025 Even so, the Collins family had a hard time drawing in customers. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025 Clarke has a hard time taking the action star seriously, since the Hollywood celebrity has zero political experience, though the prime minister’s approval ratings are precipitously low. Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 July 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://x0upouf933.proxynodejs.usequeue.com/dictionary/have%20a%20hard%20time. Accessed 13 Jul. 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!