hard yards

British  

plural noun

1. a great deal of effort or hard work, esp in playing a sport

   Dallaglio's ability to make the hard yards and cross the gain line

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard yards

The new Open champion was 24 when he turned professional and has become a major winner only after going through the hard yards of an unforgiving pro game.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

"Everyone around them - coaches, families - there's so much that goes into it. That's the side people don't see. There are a lot of hard yards from a lot of people."

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026

"We talk a lot about doing the hard yards and sometimes at this level you can beat teams through persistence and put the effort in that maybe other teams won't."

From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026

“As we get more and more of the hard yards behind us, my excitement about what’s possible for Citi grows exponentially,” Fraser said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

He was cute in the link-up play but when his team really needed him, he did the hard yards defensively.

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025