WordWeb Online

1. A time of difficulty

1. A difficulty that can be overcome with effort
   "we had a hard time getting here";
   - rough sledding
    
2. A term served in a maximum security prison

Type of: difficultness, difficulty, fix [informal], hole [informal], jam [informal], kettle of fish [informal], mess [informal], muddle [informal], pickle [informal], prison term, sentence, time