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
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
Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Senegal, India, and other nations that have pushed for peace will be hard-pressed to reject a clear prospect for achieving it, especially now that Trump has ruled out Ukrainian membership in NATO.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 11 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
See All Example Sentences for hard-pressed
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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
Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Senegal, India, and other nations that have pushed for peace will be hard-pressed to reject a clear prospect for achieving it, especially now that Trump has ruled out Ukrainian membership in NATO.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 11 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
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 1 Dec. 2025.
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