as in put to it
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
she was hard put to explain her department's excessive expenditures
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Recent Examples of hard put
Given their miserable track record, the Fed’s bureaucracy will be hard put to defend their models.
—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
But you’d be hard put to find two men the heavens are less likely to cow.
—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
Many Americans, while understanding that Washington was essential to the success of the revolution in his role as commanding general, would be hard put to explain why he is so highly ranked as president.
—
Sara Georgini,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Aug. 2024
From Brazil to Germany, companies are hard put to crew up, such is the demand by series and movies.
—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
10 May 2023
This item, which has more in common with a tabletop decoration than a functioning reticule, would be hard put to accommodate a hairbrush; a cellphone would dwarf it.
—
Lynn Yaeger,
Town & Country,
22 Jan. 2023
Japan itself, with a stagnant economy and the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, will be hard put to sustain the necessary military buildup.
—
Walter Russell Mead,
WSJ,
28 Nov. 2022
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
But you’d be hard put to find two men the heavens are less likely to cow.
—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
Many Americans, while understanding that Washington was essential to the success of the revolution in his role as commanding general, would be hard put to explain why he is so highly ranked as president.
—
Sara Georgini,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Aug. 2024
From Brazil to Germany, companies are hard put to crew up, such is the demand by series and movies.
—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
10 May 2023
This item, which has more in common with a tabletop decoration than a functioning reticule, would be hard put to accommodate a hairbrush; a cellphone would dwarf it.
—
Lynn Yaeger,
Town & Country,
22 Jan. 2023
Japan itself, with a stagnant economy and the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, will be hard put to sustain the necessary military buildup.
—
Walter Russell Mead,
WSJ,
28 Nov. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard put
Adjective
-
At the time, 95% of the folks working at our theater were either perplexed or disdainful of this project.
-
Olivia stops at an exhibit depicting two Minions, James and Henry (all the Minions are voiced by Coffin), and is perplexed when no one present appears to have heard of them, at least by name.
Adjective
-
The arrests mark a dramatic turn in a case that baffled investigators for more than a decade and left Graham's family searching for answers as her body remained missing.
-
Spotted hyenas long baffled naturalists.
Adjective
-
Practically speaking, shoes are an easier, less expensive and fraught acquisition than clothes (few people are embarrassed by their shoe size).
-
Larry David is pretty, pretty, pretty embarrassed right now.
Adjective
-
Fido was fine, if a little bewildered, and in February 1973, the board lifted its book bans.
-
At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?
Cite this Entry
“Hard put.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard%20put. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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