the hard way
noun
: in a way that involves difficult or painful experiences
He found out the hard way that crime doesn't pay.
She insisted on doing things the hard way.
Examples of the hard way in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One hiker in Utah’s Arches National Park learned this the hard way when he was trapped for hours in a predicament that felt straight out of an old movie plot.
—
Meghan Pryce, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
One woman, known on TikTok as @emilygracetaylor6, learned the hard way that her packages are not safe near the fence.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Baby boomers’ good timing America’s septuagenarians were raised by parents who came of age during the Great Depression and learned the hard way the lessons of frugality and the importance of saving money.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025
Brighton have learned the hard way that a club with a reputation for smart player recruitment in markets across the world and a cosmopolitan squad presents challenges in attempting to grow a global audience.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025
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Meghan Pryce, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
One woman, known on TikTok as @emilygracetaylor6, learned the hard way that her packages are not safe near the fence.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Baby boomers’ good timing America’s septuagenarians were raised by parents who came of age during the Great Depression and learned the hard way the lessons of frugality and the importance of saving money.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025
Brighton have learned the hard way that a club with a reputation for smart player recruitment in markets across the world and a cosmopolitan squad presents challenges in attempting to grow a global audience.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the hard way
Cite this Entry
“The hard way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20hard%20way. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.
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