hit a rocky patch

Meaning

This expression means to experience a difficult, unstable, or challenging period in a relationship, career, or project. It is a casual metaphor comparing life's journey to driving or walking on a rough, bumpy road.

Examples

• Every long-term relationship will hit a rocky patch at some point.

  Every long-term relationship will hit a rocky patch at some point.

• Our friendship hit a rocky patch last year, but we managed to work things out.

  Our friendship hit a rocky patch last year, but we managed to work things out.

• They hit a rocky patch shortly after moving in together, but they are doing great now.

  They hit a rocky patch shortly after moving in together, but they are doing great now.

• I think their marriage is hitting a rocky patch because of financial stress.

  I think their marriage is hitting a rocky patch because of financial stress.

• It's normal to hit a rocky patch when you both start new, demanding jobs.

  It's normal to hit a rocky patch when you both start new, demanding jobs.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Their relationship hit a stone patch last month.

  ✓ Their relationship hit a rocky patch last month.

  'Rocky patch' is a fixed collocation. Replacing 'rocky' with synonyms like 'stone' or 'stony' sounds unnatural to native speakers.

• ✗ We are hitting to a rocky patch right now.

  ✓ We are hitting a rocky patch right now.

  'Hit' is a transitive verb in this context and does not require the preposition 'to'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Every couple is bound to ___ occasionally; the key is communication.

  💡 experience a difficult period

  Show answer

  hit a rocky patch

• We ___ last winter, but couples therapy really helped us.

  💡 went through a bumpy time (past tense)

  Show answer

  hit a rocky patch