: 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
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.
Of course, if London isn't able to play in either of those games, Atlanta could be hard-pressed to have a shot at victory. Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025 No Kevorian Barnes The Horned Frogs were already going to be hard-pressed to generate a run game against BYU’s elite front seven, but now TCU will have to do so without leading rusher Kevorian Barnes, who was listed as out on the player availability report. Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Nov. 2025 Still, the alliance may offer new ideas for the nation’s biggest backers of TV news, who have been hard-pressed to win ad dollars for such programing in recent years. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025 Scientists, for their part, were hard-pressed to pinpoint the cause of the disaster. Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 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 17 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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