{ "term": "hard", "partOfSpeech": "adjective", "ox3000": true, "cefr": "a1", "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "difficult to do, understand or answer", "sensetop": "hard to do somethinghard for somebodyhard for somebody to do something", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "a hard choice/decision/question" }, { "text": "It is **hard to believe** that she's only nine.", "contextForm": "hard to do something" }, { "text": "It's **hard to see** how they can lose." }, { "text": "It's **hard to imagine** a more cynical political strategy." }, { "text": "‘When will the job be finished?’ ‘It's **hard to say** *(= it is difficult to be certain)*’ ." }, { "text": "It's **getting harder and harder** to earn enough to pay the rent." }, { "text": "I find his attitude very **hard to take** *(= difficult to accept)*." }, { "text": "We're finding reliable staff **hard to come by** *(= difficult to get)*." }, { "text": "Houses like this are extremely **hard to find**." }, { "text": "You are hard to please, aren’t you?" }, { "text": "I **found it hard** to believe what they told me." }, { "text": "It must be hard for her, bringing up four children on her own.", "contextForm": "hard for somebody" }, { "text": "It's hard for old people to change their ways.", "contextForm": "hard for somebody to do something" }, { "text": "I found the exam quite hard." }, { "text": "I always found languages quite hard at school." }, { "text": "Some viruses can be harder to identify." }, { "text": "The reason for their absence wasn't hard to find." }, { "text": "They were given a list of hard spellings to learn." }, { "text": "If you tell the children the answers, it only makes it harder for them to do the work on their own." }, { "text": "It can be very hard for people to accept change." } ], "topics": ["Difficulty and failure", "Working life"], "collocations": { "verbs": ["be", "look", "seem"], "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "full of difficulty and problems, especially because of a lack of money", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "Times were hard at the end of the war." }, { "text": "She's had a hard life." }, { "text": "Life got very hard." }, { "text": "Conditions were extremely hard in the camps." } ], "synonyms": "tough", "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"], "collocations": { "verbs": ["be", "look", "seem"], "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"] } }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "needing or using a lot of physical strength or mental effort", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "It's **hard work** shovelling snow." }, { "text": "This is the **hardest part** of my job." }, { "text": "It was one of the **hardest things** I ever did." }, { "text": "I've had a long **hard day**." }, { "text": "This season has been a hard slog." }, { "text": "They had put in hours of hard graft." } ], "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"] }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "putting a lot of effort or energy into an activity", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "She's a very hard worker." }, { "text": "He's **hard at work** on a new novel." }, { "text": "When I left they were all still **hard at it** *(= working hard)*." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 5, "definition": "done with a lot of strength or force", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "He gave the door a good hard kick." }, { "text": "a hard punch" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 6, "definition": "solid or stiff and difficult to bend or break", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "Wait for the concrete to go hard." }, { "text": "a hard mattress" }, { "text": "Diamonds are the hardest known mineral." }, { "text": "The chairs felt hard and uncomfortable." }, { "text": "The ground is still rock-hard." } ], "collocations": { "verbs": ["be", "feel", "look"], "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"], "phrases": ["rock hard"] } }, { "senseNumber": 7, "definition": "showing no kind feelings or sympathy", "cefr": "b1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "My father was a hard man." }, { "text": "She gave me a hard stare." }, { "text": "His voice was hard." }, { "text": "He said some very hard things to me." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 8, "definition": "showing no signs of fear or weakness; ready to fight or compete", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "Come and get me if you think you're hard enough." }, { "text": "You think you're really hard, don't you?" }, { "text": "He's as hard and uncompromising as any professional sportsman." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 9, "definition": "definitely true and based on information that can be proved", "examples": [ { "text": "Is there any **hard evidence** either way?" }, { "text": "The newspaper story is based on **hard facts**." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 10, "definition": "very cold and severe", "cefr": "c2", "examples": [ { "text": "It had been a **hard winter**." }, { "text": "There was a **hard frost** that night." } ], "topics": ["Weather"] }, { "senseNumber": 11, "definition": "strongly alcoholic", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "**hard liquor**" }, { "text": "a drop of **the hard stuff** *(= a strong alcoholic drink)*" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 12, "definition": "containing calcium and other mineral salts that make mixing with soap difficult", "examples": [ { "text": "a **hard water** area" }, { "text": "Our water is very hard." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 13, "definition": "used to describe a letter c or g when pronounced as in ‘cat’ or ‘go’, rather than as in ‘city’ or ‘giant’", "labels": "(phonetics)", "cefr": "c1", "examples": [], "topics": ["Language"] }, { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to treat or criticize somebody in a very severe or strict way", "examples": [ { "text": "Don't be too hard on him—he's very young." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to be difficult for or unfair to somebody/something", "examples": [ { "text": "It's hard on people who don't have a car." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "to be likely to hurt or damage something", "examples": [ { "text": "Looking at a computer screen all day can be very hard on the eyes." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "in a situation where you have to choose between two things, both of which are unpleasant", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to argue in an aggressive way and force somebody to agree on the best possible price or arrangement", "examples": [], "topics": ["Discussion and agreement"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to deliberately make a situation difficult and unpleasant for somebody", "examples": [ { "text": "They really gave me a hard time at the interview." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "that cannot be changed in any circumstances", "examples": [ { "text": "There are **no hard and fast rules** about this." }, { "text": "This situation isn’t hard and fast." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "showing no fear, sympathy or kind behaviour", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used as a way of saying that you are sorry about something, usually ironically (= you really mean the opposite)", "labels": "(British English, informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "difficult to understand or needing a lot of effort", "examples": [ { "text": "I'm finding his latest novel very hard going." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to tell somebody that you feel sorry for them", "labels": "(British English)", "examples": [ { "text": "‘Failed again, I'm afraid.’ ‘Oh, hard luck.’" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "a difficult problem or situation to deal with", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "a person or event that is so good or successful at something that it will be difficult for anyone/anything else coming after them to be as good or successful", "examples": [ { "text": "She has been an excellent principal and will be a hard act to follow." }, { "text": "Their contribution will prove a tough act to follow." } ], "topics": ["Success"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "by having an unpleasant experience or by making mistakes", "examples": [ { "text": "She won't listen to my advice so she'll just have to **learn the hard way**." }, { "text": "He learned about the dangers of drugs the hard way." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to have difficulty doing something", "examples": [ { "text": "You'll have a job convincing them that you're right." }, { "text": "He had a hard job to make himself heard." }, { "text": "She'll have a tough job getting the team into shape in time." }, { "text": "It's very dark out there—you'll have a job to see anything." } ], "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to use more time or energy on a task than is necessary", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used after you have been arguing with somebody or have beaten them in a contest but you would still like to be friendly with them", "examples": [ { "text": "It looks like I'm the winner again. No hard feelings, Dave, eh?" }, { "text": "Someone has to lose. No hard feelings, eh?" } ], "topics": ["Opinion and argument"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to make yourself seem more attractive or interesting by not immediately accepting an invitation to do something", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to consider a problem or possibility very carefully and without hurrying", "examples": [ { "text": "We need to take a long, hard look at all the options." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "needing too much effort", "examples": [ { "text": "I can't be bothered making a hot meal—it's too much like hard work." } ] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/hɑːd/", "audio": "ha/hard/hard__gb_1.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/hɑːrd/", "audio": "ha/hard/hard__us_1.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "Old English hard, heard, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hard and German hart." }