hard time

American  

noun

1. a period of difficulties or hardship.

2. Slang. time actually served in a prison or other penal institution.

   He had merely been fined before, but now was sentenced to 90 days' hard time in the county jail.

3. Informal. give a hard time, to bother, annoy, or harass.

   He gave me a hard time about the money I owe him.

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hard time Idioms  

1. Also, hard times . A period of difficulty or hardship, especially financial hardship. For example, Since Mom died, Christmas has been a hard time for Dad , or It's been hard times for both of them since they split up . It is also put as have a hard time , as in I'm having a hard time finishing this book . Charles Dickens used Hard Times as the title of a novel about poverty (1854). A more recent version is have a time of it , which despite its ambiguity (not specifying either “good” or “bad”) nearly always means “experiencing difficulty”; for example, We had quite a time of it in that hurricane . [Late 1300s]

2. give someone a hard time . Annoy or harass someone. For example, Don't let him give you a hard time; he's often late himself . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of hard time

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

I know I had a hard time looking away from that Mets-Pirates game.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Luke Vanderberg will usually pay for extra legroom since, at 6 feet 3 inches tall, he has a hard time fitting into airlines’ standard economy seats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Butchers all over Germany were having a particularly hard time.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

“We are having a hard time, we want to talk to them and there is nobody to talk to,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

I had a hard time seeing and had to depend on Black Star.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Related Words

• admonition
• censure
• condemnation
• disapproval
• punishment
• rebuff
• reproach
• snub