hard-pressed
adjective
: hard put
They were hard-pressed to prove any of their claims.
also
: being under financial strain
a financially hard-pressed school system
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
Damat Anyone visiting Turkey would be hard-pressed not to get exposed to Damat.
—
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
An adult earning barely $30,000 a year behind a fast-food counter will be hard-pressed to support a family, Holder said.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
If Washington State, Oregon State, Fresno State and Texas State continue to wallow, the Pac-12 will be hard-pressed to match, much less overtake, the Big East.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Even the least superstitious among us would be hard-pressed to deny that an abnormal amount of terrible things have happened to the Kennedy family.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
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Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
An adult earning barely $30,000 a year behind a fast-food counter will be hard-pressed to support a family, Holder said.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
If Washington State, Oregon State, Fresno State and Texas State continue to wallow, the Pac-12 will be hard-pressed to match, much less overtake, the Big East.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Even the least superstitious among us would be hard-pressed to deny that an abnormal amount of terrible things have happened to the Kennedy family.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
Cite this Entry
“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-pressed. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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