hard case
noun
a rough, hard-bitten person.
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hard case
1 Americannoun
hard-case
2
American
[hahrd-keys]
/ ˈhɑrdˌkeɪs /
adjective
Etymology
Origin of hard case1
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
Origin of hard-case2
First recorded in 1915–20
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:
Even in the handful of places where homeowners can argue they are being unfairly assessed based on another assessment, such as Iowa, it’s a hard case to win, she said.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
Kieron Moore’s Slovacek is the hard case who is in the Corps to avoid prison.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
The chief judge of the 5th Circuit, Priscilla Richman, wrote the majority opinion and basically just quoted big chunks of the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision to show that this is not a hard case.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2024
“This is a hard case for me,” Lamberth said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
If you don’t know how, you can end up out of control or controlled by some outside thing like that hard case last winter.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
She was hurt when she was struck by a hard-case suitcase that rival player Ha Na Jang's father dropped down an escalator at the Singapore airport.
From US News ● Apr. 2, 2016
Women's Open champion was hurt when she was struck by a hard-case suitcase that Jang's father dropped down an escalator at the Singapore airport.
From US News ● Apr. 1, 2016
She was struck by a hard-case suitcase that rival player Ha Na Jang’s father dropped down an escalator at the Singapore airport.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 30, 2016
Working for someone else is always a problem, especially if you are a hard-case as I am.
From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2014
He was a digger, a humorous and good-hearted "hard-case".
From Joe Wilson and His Mates by Lawson, Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
