as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
despite being undeniably hard up, they had too much pride to accept charity
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hard up
This letter descended to Charles Austen and thence to his granddaughters, who, hard up, sold it in the 1920s, part of a larger cache of relics and manuscripts.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
But figuring out how to finance college so that neither parent nor child are left financially hard up?
—Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 18 May 2025
Obviously someone who loses their job and is really hard up for cash will give serious thought to canceling or pausing subscriptions.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
Over the last two seasons, he’s figured out how to throw the ball hard up to left-handed hitters for weak contact and to their back foot for swing-and-miss.
—Tim Britton, The Athletic, 13 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hard up
Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
But figuring out how to finance college so that neither parent nor child are left financially hard up?
—Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 18 May 2025
Obviously someone who loses their job and is really hard up for cash will give serious thought to canceling or pausing subscriptions.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
Over the last two seasons, he’s figured out how to throw the ball hard up to left-handed hitters for weak contact and to their back foot for swing-and-miss.
—Tim Britton, The Athletic, 13 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hard up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard up
Adjective
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Evening people were 79% more likely to have poor overall heart health compared with those in the intermediate group, the study found.—
Dr. Joseph Wendt,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Audits have identified poor planning, weak oversight, and insufficient monitoring of quality and cost.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The minerals Kajumba and hundreds of thousands of impoverished Congolese were digging up allowed the rest of the world to enjoy the benefits of electricity, but the benefits to the people of Congo were woefully limited.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
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Brooks speaks colorfully and candidly, starting with his impoverished Brooklyn childhood, raised with three brothers by his mother after his father died of tuberculosis.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Harvey continued to start Dickey for the playoffs — if the wheel ain’t broke, don’t fix it — and Seattle won two 1-0 games to make the NWSL Final against Gotham FC.—
Steve Goldberg,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Jan. 2026
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Azamat and Tansholpan are completely broke.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hard up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard%20up. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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