as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
despite being undeniably hard up, they had too much pride to accept charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hard up
However, the typical Planet Organic shopper isn’t likely to be that hard up.
—
Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 22 July 2024
They’ve been hit particularly hard up front on offense and need youth.
—Brad Biggs, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2024
Cleveland Browns Stadium, hard up against the Science Center lawn, was plunged into darkness.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Once the timing of the case pushed hard up against a national election in which Trump was likely to run, forbearance would have been the proper and public-spirited course.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 14 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hard up
Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 22 July 2024
They’ve been hit particularly hard up front on offense and need youth.
—Brad Biggs, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2024
Cleveland Browns Stadium, hard up against the Science Center lawn, was plunged into darkness.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Once the timing of the case pushed hard up against a national election in which Trump was likely to run, forbearance would have been the proper and public-spirited course.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 14 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hard up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard up
Adjective
-
Additionally, over-saturating with water is a poor choice for these floors.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Specifically, poor capital allocation decisions have destroyed significant value.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Having two of the three most impoverished cities, especially when those cities are experiencing booming population growth, is its own kind of economic miracle, if an ignominious one.—
Kathryn Anne Edwards,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The eye-popping dollar figures in the statements contrast with everything else happening on an impoverished island, where people spend much of their time without electricity and many still depend on meager food rations to survive.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Campaigning is expensive, so if the people you are elected to represent are going broke, special interest groups fill the fiscal void.—
Christopher Eric Bouchat,
Baltimore Sun,
29 July 2025
-
All the while Lucy finds herself in a love triangle torn between a wealthy finance man and a broke, aspiring actor.—
Yola Robert,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hard up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard%20up. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share