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• hard-on
  hard-on

  noun

  an erection of the penis.
• hard on
  hard on

  Also, hard upon, hard by . In close proximity, as in The police were hard on the heels of the thieves , or It was hard upon three o'clock , or Their house is hard by ours . The variants are used less than hard on . [Second half of 1700s]

hard-on

American  

[hahrd-on, -awn] / ˈhɑrdˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

noun

Slang: Vulgar.

• hard-ons
  plural

1. an erection of the penis.

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hard on Idioms  

1. Also, hard upon, hard by . In close proximity, as in The police were hard on the heels of the thieves , or It was hard upon three o'clock , or Their house is hard by ours . The variants are used less than hard on . [Second half of 1700s]

2. be hard on . Deal severely with, cause damage to. For example, He asked the teacher not to be too hard on those who forgot the assignment , or That cat has really been hard on the upholstery . [Second half of 1600s] Also see hard time , def. 2.

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Usage

What does hard-on mean? A hard-on is slang for an erection of the penis. It has been extended as a metaphor for being excited about something in general. The vulgar slang hard-on is not to be confused with the expression to be hard (on someone) is to be mean and critical, or to he expression to go hard (on something), meaning "to go all out."What are some other forms of hard-on?hard on

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hard-ons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hard-on

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard on

The lack of white-collar mobility falls especially hard on the young, who make up a big share of job seekers and have long relied on hopping between companies to raise their pay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

Kast took office in March promising to crack down hard on organized crime and illegal immigration.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Part of their story, then, is that it’s a vile myth that pregnancy and motherhood can be hard on women.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

“It was a difficult, difficult situation,” Wellman said, “considering the success that Umberto had on Journalism. It was hard on everybody for a lot of reasons.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The first three years were especially hard on Dasch.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple