have a hard time

have a hard time

To have difficulty; to struggle. I'm really having a hard time in math this semester—I need to get a tutor. A: "Have you seen Alice lately? I feel like I hardly see her anymore." B: "Yeah, she's been having a hard time since her mother died, so she's been keeping to herself.."
See also: hard, have, time
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • have a hard time with (someone or something)
  • have a job
  • have a job doing/to do something
  • be strong on (something)
  • be strong on something
  • as far as (something) goes
  • as far as that goes
  • by dint of
  • by dint of something
  • by dint of something/doing something
References in periodicals archive
So having to talk to her friends or see her friends and see how her friends are going to react to it, that's the hardest part for me in coming out--she's going to have a hard time dealing with it.
Teens are constantly looking for more stimulation and have a hard time being able to stop and smell the roses."
The worst part of doing a 'zine is calling people up to either do an interview or go shoot a photo--I'm kind of shy, I guess--and I always have a hard time keeping up with my "deadlines;" my 'zine always comes out at least a month later than I plan.
SCHOOL SCOPE You might have to work extra hard at your studies and may even have a hard time conjuring up that kind of energy.