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
Women, and the medical establishment, learned the hard way that the mesh could cause urogenital complications, excessive scarring and pain, and, in some cases, could even poke out through the skin.
—
Catherine M. Klapperich, STAT, 12 Apr. 2024
Even though the economy’s been performing well by many metrics, Biden’s learning the hard way that good data — no matter how strong — does little to change how people feel about the economy.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
But getting votes from people who have a negative view is definitely doing things the hard way.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
But diseases in chicken coops can be difficult to control, as poultry farmers learned the hard way when a highly infectious avian flu ravaged their flocks over the past couple years, sending prices of chicken and eggs surging before coming back down to Earth late last year.
—David Goldman, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
My seven-year-old self quickly learned that lesson the hard way, and ever since then, my motto has always been happy feet, happy hiker.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2024
Researcher Rick Claypool learned this the hard way.
—Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
Like Fighter Town, Virtual World, Disney Quest, and The Void, Dreamscape found out the hard way why stand-alone VR entertainment doesn’t work: too few seats at peak times, too many seats most of the time, and too many employees all the time.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
To say that Maxx Appelman learned that the hard way is an understatement.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Catherine M. Klapperich, STAT, 12 Apr. 2024
Even though the economy’s been performing well by many metrics, Biden’s learning the hard way that good data — no matter how strong — does little to change how people feel about the economy.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
But getting votes from people who have a negative view is definitely doing things the hard way.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
But diseases in chicken coops can be difficult to control, as poultry farmers learned the hard way when a highly infectious avian flu ravaged their flocks over the past couple years, sending prices of chicken and eggs surging before coming back down to Earth late last year.
—David Goldman, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
My seven-year-old self quickly learned that lesson the hard way, and ever since then, my motto has always been happy feet, happy hiker.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2024
Researcher Rick Claypool learned this the hard way.
—Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
Like Fighter Town, Virtual World, Disney Quest, and The Void, Dreamscape found out the hard way why stand-alone VR entertainment doesn’t work: too few seats at peak times, too many seats most of the time, and too many employees all the time.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
To say that Maxx Appelman learned that the hard way is an understatement.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the hard way.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the hard way
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“The hard way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20hard%20way. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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