falls on hard times
Encounters financial ruin
Falls on hard times describes experiencing financial difficulty or misfortune after a period of stability or prosperity.
The phrase implies a decline from better circumstances rather than chronic poverty: The family fell on hard times after the factory closed.
Someone who has fallen on hard times may need assistance they once wouldn't have required.
- povertySevere lack of resources
- bankruptcyLegal status when insolvent
- misfortuneAdverse circumstance or event
- bad luckUnfavorable chance events
- rough patchDifficult period experienced
disaster · tight budget · living paycheck to paycheck · destitution · down and out · setback · despair · unemployment · insolvency · recession · foreclosure · rock bottom · calamity · debt · depression · adversity · crisis · upheaval
falls on hard timesprospers
Achieves ongoing success
thrives · flourishes · catches a break · lands on one's feet · makes good
fall, falls, fallen, falling, faller, fallout, downfall, hard, harder