Meaning & use
worked hard
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“worked hard” is a form of “work hard”.
Meaning
verbintransitive
Put a lot of effort into doing something.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'on' or 'at' to say what you worked hard on.
Patterns
- work hard on something
- work hard at something
- work hard to do something
She worked hard on her essay and got an A.
They worked hard to finish the project on time.
He worked hard at learning Spanish and now speaks it fluently.
Word forms
| base form | work hard |
|---|---|
| third person singular | works hard |
| past tense | worked hard |
| past participle | worked hard |
| -ing form | working hard |
Common combinations
- work hard on something
- She worked hard on her presentation and it went well.
- work hard to achieve something
- They worked hard to achieve their goals.
- work hard at something
- He worked hard at improving his writing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- strive
- Strive is more formal and suggests a long, determined effort; 'work hard' is more everyday.
- labor
- Labor often implies physical or tiring work; 'work hard' can be mental or physical.
- toil
- Toil is literary and suggests very hard, continuous work; 'work hard' is neutral.
Opposites
Word family
- hard-working adjective
- Describing someone who works with a lot of effort.
- hard work noun
- Effort and energy put into a task.
Commonly confused: worked hard or hardly worked?
worked hard vs hardly worked
'Hardly worked' means almost did not work at all, the opposite of 'worked hard'.
Practice
She ______ on her thesis for months before submitting it.
Choose one answer.
'Worked hard' means put in a lot of effort. 'Hardly worked' means almost did not work, which is the opposite. 'Worked hardly' is not standard English, and 'hard worked' is not a correct verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “worked hard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.