idiom · informal

go through a rough patch

UK/ɡəʊ θruː ə rʌf pætʃ/US/ɡoʊ θruː ə rʌf pætʃ/go THROUGH a ROUGH PATCH

speakingtask2

to experience a short period of difficulty or trouble

Examples

“They're going through a rough patch in their marriage but hope to reconcile.”

“The company went through a rough patch after the CEO resigned.”

“Students sometimes go through rough patches during exam season.”

Band 8 sentence

“The team went through a rough patch after several key players were injured, but they adapted and improved their tactics.”

Collocations

  • go through a rough patch in life
  • go through a rough patch after divorce

Word family

go through a rough patch idiomwent through a rough patch phrase

Common mistakes

go through rough patch→go through a rough patch

Say it for a higher band

5have a hard time→6have a rough time→7+go through a rough patch

Synonyms

have a rough time

Easily confused

have a rough time

“I've been having a rough time lately with deadlines.”

Related words

between a rock and a hard placescrape bymake ends meetstrapped for cashat one's wit's endbe up against itweather the stormhit a snag

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In Hardship

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