hard knocks

plural noun

: rough, unsparing treatment (as in use or in life)

Commercial-strength squares—baked clay, ceramic, vinyl or rubber stand up to hard knocks at home.—

Apartment Life

especially : difficult or painful experiences or circumstances

This is a testimonial, above all, of hard knocks, from a mother's absence and a family's sacrifice to care for his older, tubercular brother to the betrayal by White House patrons and staff. —

Roger Morris

—often used in the phrase school of hard knocks

Romances with men are the curriculum you'll need to determine what's right for you and what isn't. I'd prefer if you'd learn quickly and easily, rather than at the school of hard knocks. —

Dave Singleton

Examples of hard knocks in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Their music tapped into hard knocks and entrepreneurial ambitions – but both wanted more than album sales and positive reviews. —

Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024 Even Hoge and Jahns have really been a disappointment on the podcast, which is 30 minutes of who's going to look best on hard knocks. —

Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024 The transition from Montgomery to Swift is part of the roster construction designed for long-term success, with a younger core built to win as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams learns through hard knocks. —

Phil Rogers, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 The movie is an ode to all the guys—and, ostensibly, women, though there are no obvious stuntwomen in the film—who take hard knocks to make stuff look real on film. —

Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for hard knocks