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give a hard time

give a hard time
G g

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [giv ey hahrd tahym]
    • /gɪv eɪ hɑrd taɪm/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [giv ey hahrd tahym]
    • /gɪv eɪ hɑrd taɪm/

Definitions of give a hard time words

  • noun give a hard time a period of difficulties or hardship. 1
  • noun give a hard time Slang. time actually served in a prison or other penal institution: He had merely been fined before, but now was sentenced to 90 days' hard time in the county jail. 1
  • noun give a hard time give a hard time, Informal. to bother, annoy, or harass: He gave me a hard time about the money I owe him. 1
See all 3 definitions of give a hard time

Information block about the term

Origin of give a hard time

First appearance:

before 1905
One of the 15% newest English words
First recorded in 1905-10

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Give a hard time

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Give a hard time

give a hard time popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 40% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 60% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

give a hard time usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for give a hard time

verb give a hard time

  • bother — If you do not bother to do something or if you do not bother with it, you do not do it, consider it, or use it because you think it is unnecessary or because you are too lazy.
  • provoke — to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex.
  • irritate — to excite to impatience or anger; annoy.
  • pester — to bother persistently with petty annoyances; trouble: Don't pester me with your trivial problems.
  • needle — a small, slender, rodlike instrument, usually of polished steel, with a sharp point at one end and an eye or hole for thread at the other, for passing thread through cloth to make stitches in sewing.
All 284 Synonyms of give a hard time

Antonyms for give a hard time

verb give a hard time

  • aid — Aid is money, equipment, or services that are provided for people, countries, or organizations who need them but cannot provide them for themselves.
  • delight — Delight is a feeling of very great pleasure.
  • calm — A calm person does not show or feel any worry, anger, or excitement.
  • soothe — to tranquilize or calm, as a person or the feelings; relieve, comfort, or refresh: soothing someone's anger; to soothe someone with a hot drink.
  • appease — If you try to appease someone, you try to stop them from being angry by giving them what they want.
All 71 Antonyms of give a hard time

See also

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