hurdle

play

noun hur·dle \ ˈhər-dᵊl \

Definition of hurdle

1 a :a portable panel usually of wattled withes and stakes used especially for enclosing land or livestock

b :a frame or sled formerly used in England for dragging traitors to execution

2 a :an artificial barrier over which racers must leap

knocked over a hurdle

b hurdles plural, track and field :any of various events in which racers must jump over a series of hurdles

won a medal in the high hurdles

The hurdles is his best event.

3 :barrier, obstacle

a company that faces severe financial hurdles

overcame many hurdles on her way to earning her degree

See hurdle defined for English-language learners

See hurdle defined for kids

Examples of hurdle in a Sentence

He won a medal in the high hurdles.
The company faces severe financial hurdles this year.

Recent Examples of hurdle from the Web

Parties, special events and some big names helped push McFarland’s brainchild past initial hurdles.

— kim bhasin, Bloomberg.com, "How a Black-Card Wannabe Went Down In Flames," 30 Aug. 2017
That includes financing, which remains the biggest hurdle toward moving the project forward in the next year.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Few answers exist on how to pay for I-10 Bridge project as Alabama turns to the private sector," 28 Aug. 2017
But while Monday’s agreement offers a possible path to move SONGS waste, significant hurdles remain.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Court settlement looks to move nuclear waste from San Onofre," 28 Aug. 2017
Another bureaucratic hurdle has stalled the progress of projects planned for Wellfield Park despite the fact that funding was released by the county Board of Supervisors in April.

— karen brainard, Ramona Sentinel, "Another delay for Wellfield Park projects," 28 Aug. 2017
The biggest hurdle now is raising the money for the two phase III trials, which together will include between 200 and 300 participants.

— kai kupferschmidt, Science | AAAS, "All clear for the decisive trial of ecstasy in PTSD patients," 27 Aug. 2017
Getting to this point was a three-year struggle over multiple hurdles.

— kathleen foody, chicagotribune.com, "Martin Luther King Jr. statue to rise on Georgia Capitol, as Confederate monuments fall," 26 Aug. 2017
Leaf’s learned the hurdles of staging it outdoors, booking too many bands, and betting on bigger artists at bigger venues.

— courtney devores, charlotteobserver, "2-day fest scales back, but clings to indie roots in seventh year," 24 Aug. 2017
The city council in Honolulu heard from residents who testified about enforcement hurdles and the impact on tourists and complained about overreach.

— isabel gottlieb, courant.com, "Texting And Walking Cluelessly? That Could Soon Be A Fine In Stamford," 24 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hurdle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of hurdle

Origin and Etymology of hurdle

Middle English hurdel, from Old English hyrdel; akin to Old High German hurt hurdle, Latin cratis wickerwork, hurdle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

hurdle Synonyms

hurdle

verb

Definition of hurdle

hurdled; hurdling play \ˈhərd-liŋ, ˈhər-dᵊl-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 :to leap over especially while running (as in a sporting competition)

hurdling an obstacle in a steeplechase

2 :overcome, surmount

had to hurdle a series of competitive auditions
—Collier's

—

hurdler

play \ˈhərd-lər, ˈhər-dᵊl-ər\ noun

See hurdle defined for English-language learners

Examples of hurdle in a Sentence

The horse hurdled the fence.

Recent Examples of hurdle from the Web

But Chrostowski, who generally is viewed as a second-tier candidate, will need to hurdle his competitors to make it through to the run-off election.

— robert higgs & andrew j. tobias, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson gives fiery close to City Club candidate debate," 25 Aug. 2017
Visitors to the hotel have also hurdled over what the Trump Organization expected in terms of food and drinks, as well, topping $8.2 million.

— emily jane fox, vanityfair.com, "Donald Trump, Swamp King, Is Officially Swimming in Washington Money," 11 Aug. 2017
Visitors to the hotel have also hurdled over what the Trump Organization expected in terms of food and drinks, as well, topping $8.2 million.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "Donald Trump, Swamp King, Is Officially Swimming in Washington Money," 11 Aug. 2017
It was suffered when Jaguars running back Chris Ivory tried to hurdle him, but ended up slamming his knee into Darby’s helmet.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "What you need to know about Ronald Darby, the Eagles' new cornerback," 11 Aug. 2017
The event, which requires runners to hurdle over seven water jumps and four barriers per lap, has been dominated by Kenyans since the early 90s.

— chris chavez, SI.com, "USA's Evan Jager Wins USA's First-Ever Steeplechase Medal At World Championships," 8 Aug. 2017
Venezuela has been hurdling toward a political crisis for some time, and Sunday’s vote was a potential turning point.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Venezuela Sees More Bloodshed Amid Widely Condemned Election," 31 July 2017
Assaults on Border Patrol agents are on the rise in recent months and the agency has long said that rocks hurdled at agents are a serious safety concern.

— alicia a. caldwell, The Seattle Times, "Trump calls for 700 miles to 900 miles of border wall," 13 July 2017
Assaults on Border Patrol agents are on the rise in recent months and the agency has long said that rocks hurdled at agents are a serious safety concern.

— alicia a. caldwell, chicagotribune.com, "No need for full border wall, Trump says on Air Force One flight to Paris," 13 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of hurdle

see ¹hurdle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1896

See Words from the same year

HURDLE Defined for English Language Learners

hurdle

play

noun

Definition of hurdle for English Language Learners

: one of a series of barriers to be jumped over in a race
the hurdles : a race in which runners must jump over hurdles
: something that makes an achievement difficult

hurdle

verb

Definition of hurdle for English Language Learners

: to jump over (something) while running
: to deal with (a problem or difficulty) successfully

HURDLE Defined for Kids

hurdle

play

noun hur·dle \ ˈhər-dᵊl \

Definition of hurdle for Students

1 :a barrier to be jumped in a race

2 hurdles plural :a race in which runners must jump over barriers

3 :obstacle

He overcame many hurdles to become successful.

hurdle

verb

Definition of hurdle for Students

hurdled; hurdling

1 :to leap over while running

2 :overcome 1

You have obstacles to hurdle before graduating.

Learn More about hurdle

See words that rhyme with hurdle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hurdle Spanish Central: Translation of hurdle Nglish: Translation of hurdle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hurdle for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hurdle

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hurdle

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hurdler

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