Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

hard

2 adverb
     
hard2 S1 W2 comparative harder, superlative hardest
1

using energy/effort

using a lot of effort, energy, or attention:
She has worked hard all her life.
He had thought long and hard before getting involved with the project.
She tried her hardest to ignore what he'd said.
Ella was concentrating very hard.
I couldn't convince him no matter how hard I tried.
2

with force

with a lot of force:
You need to hit the ball hard.
He slammed the door hard behind him.
It was raining very hard.
3

become solid

becoming solid, stiff, or firm:
By now the cement had set hard.
4

be hard hit/be hit hard

to be badly affected by something that has happened:
Sales were hard hit by high interest rates.
5

be hard put/pressed/pushed to do something

informal to have difficulty doing something:
You'd be hard pressed to find anyone better for the job.
 ➔ hard-pressed
6

be/feel hard done by

informal to be or feel unfairly treated:
As a child I felt hard done by, living so far away from my friends.
7

take something hard

to be very upset about something, especially bad news:
Alan took his mother's death particularly hard.
8

hard upon/on something

British English formal soon after something:
His second major contract followed hard upon the first.
9

laugh/cry hard

to laugh, cry etc a lot
➔ hard by, hard up

; ➔ (hard/hot/close) on somebody's heels

at heel1 (7b)

; ➔ (hard/hot/close) on the heels of something

at heel1 (7a)

➔ play hard to get

at play1 (23)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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