How to Use hard-pressed in a Sentence

hard-pressed

adjective
  • The district has been hard-pressed for funds this year, too.
    Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The Beavers will be hard-pressed to reach that level of success.
    Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024
  • In the Lions’ den at Ford Field, Williams will be hard-pressed to find running room.
    Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2024
  • The Bulls take on the Bucks tonight in Milwaukee, but Chicago fans will be hard-pressed to watch it.
    Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024
  • Ehlinger, though, might be hard-pressed for a roster spot after an uneven start to camp.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Each brings strong resumés and versatile skill sets, but will be hard-pressed to replace the star trio.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2025
  • If that occurs, the Fed could be hard-pressed to continue its rate-cutting push.
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Drinkers may be hard-pressed to find better cider than those made locally.
    Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 June 2025
  • Paramount may find itself hard-pressed to go without Nielsen for long.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024
  • Paramount may find itself hard-pressed to go without Nielsen for long.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
  • Simply put, the Hurricanes will be hard-pressed to avoid an upset.
    Keven Lerner, Sun Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024
  • But if the House can squeeze its plan through incredibly tight margins, the Senate will be hard-pressed to refuse it.
    Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
  • Kansas City has been hard-pressed to find a second receiver that can match Hopkins, and that might be the case now.
    James Brizuela, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
  • With the aprons threatening, the Magic front office will be hard-pressed to maintain its roster depth for the long term.
    Josh Robbins, New York Times, 16 June 2025
  • Salmon and steelhead anglers will be hard-pressed to find a better rod than the Okuma X-Series.
    Christopher Murray May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
  • Even users going through the most severe TikTok withdrawal would be hard-pressed to buy a used phone for the price of a 2025 Toyota Prius.
    Hank Sanders, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Miners have already invested in their equipment and would be hard-pressed to throw it all away, for one.
    Justine Calma, The Verge, 11 July 2023
  • Indeed, Justice Thomas would have been hard-pressed to get a loan from a traditional lender.
    Julie Tate, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2023
  • The Lionesses will be hard-pressed to beat the French, who finally found their form in a 6-1 dissection of China.
    John Powers, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2023
  • Ten years and tens of millions in salary separate the pitchers, but those who watched Thursday would be hard-pressed to notice.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 May 2025
  • Absent outside help, first-time buyers are often hard-pressed to put 20% down.
    Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
  • But young renters would be hard-pressed to find a market that isn’t rapidly outpacing their paycheck.
    Jane Thier, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
  • The returns might help the team better down the road, and the Bruins had already been hard-pressed to deliver results before the deadline.
    Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • But the Tiffany network will be hard-pressed to be the driver of significant growth for the entire company.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Whoever gets the job will be hard-pressed to turn around an economy that’s collapsed in recent years.
    Dana Khraiche, Bloomberg.com, 5 June 2023
  • Even if everything breaks perfectly for Schilling, a former Grand Canyon assistant, the Waves will be hard-pressed to crack the top five.
    Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 27 June 2024
  • The Department of Agriculture seems hard-pressed to return answers in time.
    Joanna Thompson, The Atlantic, 20 May 2025
  • Damat Anyone visiting Turkey would be hard-pressed not to get exposed to Damat.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Indiana has an explosive offense that Miami will be hard-pressed to slow down.
    Keven Lerner, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Still, without her contributions, the Bobcats will be hard-pressed to reach their potential.
    Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 15 Dec. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard-pressed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: