How to Use the hard way in a Sentence

the hard way

noun
Definition of the hard waynext
  • The Bulls learned the hard way, the 76ers are a force with Embiid.
    — Dan Gelston, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024
  • And the rest of the league has experienced that the hard way.
    — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 9 May 2023
  • Machado found out the hard way that the pitch clock works both ways.
    — Bernie Wilson, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Things got even worse when Mary learned the hard way that these bugs were biters.
    — Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023
  • Ivanishvili will learn this the hard way, as will Putin.
    — Will Cathcart, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Dave Davies learned the hard way this week what happens when there’s a glitch in the Matrix.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Feb. 2023
  • Justin Quiles is learning a lesson the hard way in his new video.
    — Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2023
  • Someone who also learned the hard way the price of dumping on a swan.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 5 July 2024
  • The couple had to learn how to set boundaries around their private life the hard way.
    — Terri Robertson, Country Living, 2 Apr. 2023
  • In 2015, Uber learned the hard way just how damaging the practice can be.
    — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Many truck drivers have learned the hard way that the bridge has a clearance of just 12 feet — shorter than the height of most large trucks.
    — Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2024
  • Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin doesn’t want to find out the hard way.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2023
  • There will be consequences for this tragedy and the Democrats will learn the hard way in November.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 July 2024
  • But France, like Britain, might be determined to learn that lesson the hard way.
    — Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 5 July 2024
  • The latest company to learn this lesson the hard way is Wendy’s.
    — Byirina Ivanova, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Many of us learned the hard way that 5-gallon pots are just too small for a mature tomato plant.
    — Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 June 2024
  • As he’s learned the hard way, ping-ponging between two extremes just doesn’t work.
    — Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 8 May 2023
  • Ecologists have had to learn that lesson the hard way in other places.
    — Jack Herrera, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2024
  • Conservative forces in Ohio and Wyoming are learning that the hard way.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2023
  • Then, in 2022, Ukrainians learned the hard way that you can be dragged into a fight without asking for one.
    — Nataliya Gumenyuk, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2024
  • Thursday night, UW-Milwaukee learned that the hard way.
    — Journal Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2023
  • No logos for the Roys and their jet set, though one important striver in their midst had to learn about stealth wealth the hard way.
    — Leanne Italie, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2023
  • Travis and his teammates learned the hard way that college football has turned into a TV show above all.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023
  • The region learned the hard way with Hurricane Irene in 2011 that damage isn't always confined to the coast.
    — David Sharp, ajc, 16 Sep. 2023
  • The region learned the hard way with Hurricane Irene in 2011 that damage isn’t always confined to the coast.
    — David Sharp, Robert F. Butaky and Patrick Whittle, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Sep. 2023
  • Elon Musk may be learning the hard way that his streak of always having things his own way is coming to an end.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
  • The Barons learned the hard way that the world’s largest online retailer isn’t perfect and sometimes makes mistakes.
    — Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 15 July 2024
  • The Palo Alto eighth-grader learned that the hard way when her face started turning red and blotchy.
    — Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 8 May 2024
  • Grindr’s executive team found out the hard way that staff can call their employer’s bluff.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 June 2024
  • Women, in particular, have learned the hard way what happens when that standard gets eroded.
    — Patricia Lopez, The Mercury News, 24 July 2024

Some of 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.

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