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
Arendt, who was accused of smuggling anti-Semitic literature out of the library to expose Hitler’s intentions to the West, defends her innocence with such intellectual rigor, conviction, and charm that the audience, like the interrogator, is hard put to decipher the truth.
—airmail.news, 28 Dec. 2024
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
But with an evenly split Senate, and Democrats hard put to get to the 60-vote threshold needed to prevent Republicans from blocking their bills, Ms. Sinema – together with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia – has come under particular fire for her refusal to scrap the filibuster.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2021
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
Arendt, who was accused of smuggling anti-Semitic literature out of the library to expose Hitler’s intentions to the West, defends her innocence with such intellectual rigor, conviction, and charm that the audience, like the interrogator, is hard put to decipher the truth.
—airmail.news, 28 Dec. 2024
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
But with an evenly split Senate, and Democrats hard put to get to the 60-vote threshold needed to prevent Republicans from blocking their bills, Ms. Sinema – together with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia – has come under particular fire for her refusal to scrap the filibuster.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Aug. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard put
Adjective
-
Those watching were perplexed that two people who could play husband and wife — albeit, locked in an abusive relationship — wouldn’t do press in the same room, let alone pose together at the premiere.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
-
For Bogaerts, Severino is the one who leaves him perplexed, the one who has him asking why this guy, of all guys, owns him.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
But your mother remains utterly baffled.—
Taiye Selasi,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
-
The admission prompted baffled comments from a veteran federal judge.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rhoda, so likable and charming and unassuming, looked embarrassed to be accepting praise for what was entirely Sherry’s dish, which made Sherry justifiably angry.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
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Or at least, Ewa Pajor and Salma Paralluelo made Goliath really, really embarrassed with their 4-0 victory over OL Lyonnes in the Champions League final last weekend.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the podium with him, took off his glasses and looked at his teammate with a bewildered expression.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Everyone was so relieved to see how bewildered everyone else was that the feeling in this place was almost festive.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard put.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard%20put. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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