hard knocks
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’s experienced plenty of hard knocks since being disfigured in battle by his power-hungry brother, via Vhagar’s dragon fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"Everyone loved her. I grew up with Tina Turner and she was a great woman to me, with a lot of sorrow too due to life's hard knocks but absolutely someone we could admire."
From Reuters ● May 25, 2023
Australian rugby league in the early 1990s was an unforgiving school of hard knocks, tough men and scant sympathy.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2023
Unexpected twists, and the way Fiske and Hallin are unafraid of veering off to follow the stories that unfold before them, elevate “Scheme Birds” beyond a typical portrait of hard knocks.
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2022
Shasta cried only a very little; he was used to hard knocks.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
