: hard put
also : being under financial strain

Examples of hard-pressed in a Sentence

they will be hard-pressed to come up with any facts that actually support their argument
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Such leaders would be hard-pressed to turn down a plan premised on promoting exactly that, provided it is shorn of thorny institutional issues. Marwan Muasher, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2024 The Bulls take on the Bucks tonight in Milwaukee, but Chicago fans will be hard-pressed to watch it. Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024 In Christopher Nolan’s Next Event Film At Universal Jayme Lawson Latest To Join Edgar Wright’s Paramount Adaptation Of ‘The Running Man’ Way of the Warrior Kid follows a self-doubting boy (Hill) who gets bullied and is hard-pressed to complete a single pull-up. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024 Johnson will be hard-pressed to stem the infighting if Republicans retain control of the House next year. Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hard-pressed 

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard-pressed was in 1707

Dictionary Entries Near hard-pressed

Cite this Entry

“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-pressed. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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