: 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.
However, tariffs mean higher prices, so the central bank would be hard-pressed to lower interest rates. Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 Those funds augment the underpayment that care providers receive for Medicaid services, and without them, health systems could be hard-pressed to continue funding maternity care at their current rates. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025 The district has been hard-pressed for funds this year, too. Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025 Bell High’s baseball team will be hard-pressed to top last season’s historic achievement winning the school’s first City Section Open Division championship at Dodger Stadium after not being in an upper division final since 1953. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Hard-pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard-pressed. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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