have a hard time

phrase

: 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.
Beck didn’t participate in the book, but Riesman finds enough friends, family and associates to assemble a complex portrait of an artist who wants his audiences to see him as fashion-forward but has had a hard time shaking his past. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 That's the handbook used to identify mental health conditions, so patients often have a hard time getting proper care. — August 31, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 Most people would have a hard time picking it out from the countless other examples peaking above this portion of the river running through Budapest, Hungary. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026 Some hunters have a hard time believing anyone who killed such a massive buck would not enter it in the record books to claim the title of having taken a world-record whitetail. — Richard P. Smith, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for have a hard time

Rhymes for have a hard time

See All Rhymes for have a hard time

Browse Nearby Words

have a hand in
have a hard time
have a head for
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Have a hard time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have%20a%20hard%20time. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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