hard act to follow

Idioms

Also, tough act to follow. An outstanding performance or individual. For example, Lucy was a terrific group leader—hers is a hard act to follow, or Bob's record is excellent—it will be a tough act to follow. This expression, dating from about 1900, was originally used for a particularly good vaudeville act that made the next act look poor by comparison. It soon was extended to other enterprises.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

hard act to follow

He said whoever becomes mayor after the election, which will be held on 30 July, would find Burnham was "a hard act to follow".

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Wang’s cancellation, however, meant another hard act to follow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025

But that reflects high domestic ownership of government debt and ultra loose monetary policy - a hard act to follow with higher inflation.

From Reuters ● Aug. 14, 2023

Still, her friends said, she will be a hard act to follow.

From New York Times ● Feb. 14, 2023

That wasn’t enough to keep him in his job and Dyche will be a hard act to follow, whether Burnley stays in the Premier League or not.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023