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
Not only are low-income families having a hard time keeping up with rising rents, but also those with a traditionally middle-class income are having difficulty matching rising rents in some cities.
—
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The pair couldn’t pinpoint the source of the leak and had a hard time getting a plumber.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Members of Gen Z are also more likely to have a hard time finding a job in this current market or to be more susceptible to losing their job, said Shikha Jain, a partner and head of consumer/retail at Simon-Kucher, a commercial strategy consulting firm.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Wade was not wearing a PFD, one of the details about their son’s disappearance that Wade’s parents had a hard time believing.
—Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for have a hard time
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Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The pair couldn’t pinpoint the source of the leak and had a hard time getting a plumber.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Members of Gen Z are also more likely to have a hard time finding a job in this current market or to be more susceptible to losing their job, said Shikha Jain, a partner and head of consumer/retail at Simon-Kucher, a commercial strategy consulting firm.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Wade was not wearing a PFD, one of the details about their son’s disappearance that Wade’s parents had a hard time believing.
—Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 2025.
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