hard-fought
adjective
1
: requiring a lot of effort or hard work
He won a hard-fought campaign for reelection.
2
: achieved or acquired through a lot of effort or hard work
a hard-fought victory/triumph
Examples of hard-fought in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Listen to this article The Knicks’ first game without Jalen Brunson went as expected: hard-fought until the end, where New York missed its captain and All-Star clutch performer.
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Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
This came as a surprise to many, especially considering Ishii's more recent lengthy and hard-fought draw against Gabe Kidd at NJPW's Battle in the Valley, which ran for an impressive 30 minutes.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
The deal was hard-fought and hammered out in secret, and its future remains uncertain.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
Both sides of the issue are already gearing up for what is likely to be an expensive and hard-fought fight as Alaska remains one of only two states where the system is used statewide.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 30 Dec. 2024
Many CHROs cite positive and hard-fought reasons for employees staying, such as people enjoying their work, colleagues, managers, and company cultures.
—John M. Bremen, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
In that blackness lay a level of liberation that was hard-fought, and a predisposition for resistance that was inherited – and reinvigorated in the wake of Hurrican Beryl.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2024
Batten’s race for silver was hard-fought and represents the highest finish (woman or man) of any American in Olympic mountain biking.
—Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 3 Aug. 2024
The race was hard-fought and saw several campaign setbacks for Hamadeh.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 1 Aug. 2024
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Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
This came as a surprise to many, especially considering Ishii's more recent lengthy and hard-fought draw against Gabe Kidd at NJPW's Battle in the Valley, which ran for an impressive 30 minutes.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
The deal was hard-fought and hammered out in secret, and its future remains uncertain.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
Both sides of the issue are already gearing up for what is likely to be an expensive and hard-fought fight as Alaska remains one of only two states where the system is used statewide.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 30 Dec. 2024
Many CHROs cite positive and hard-fought reasons for employees staying, such as people enjoying their work, colleagues, managers, and company cultures.
—John M. Bremen, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
In that blackness lay a level of liberation that was hard-fought, and a predisposition for resistance that was inherited – and reinvigorated in the wake of Hurrican Beryl.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2024
Batten’s race for silver was hard-fought and represents the highest finish (woman or man) of any American in Olympic mountain biking.
—Josh Patterson, Outside Online, 3 Aug. 2024
The race was hard-fought and saw several campaign setbacks for Hamadeh.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 1 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Hard-fought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-fought. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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