hurdle 1 of 2

noun

ˈhər-dᵊl How to pronounce hurdle (audio)
Definition of hurdlenext
as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult the many hurdles he had to overcome on the road to success

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hurdle

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to leap

Related Words
2
as in to overcome

Related Words

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 hurdle
Noun
The proposed law, which would federalize elections, require additional documentation in order to vote and curtail mail-in registration and ballots in all states, faces major logistical, legal and political hurdles. — Sorelle Wyckoff Gaynor, The Conversation, 17 July 2026 The members-only retailer continues to execute, but its valuation remains the biggest hurdle. — Kevin Stankiewicz,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Verb
The best highlight from almost any Notre Dame game was of Love, spinning or hurdling his way through defenders. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026 Tech companies are hurdling toward a goal of artificial general intelligence, or AGI—technology that matches or exceeds human cognitive abilities. — Jake Angelo, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hurdle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurdle
  1. obstacle
  2. leap
  3. overcome
  4. barrier
  5. jump
  6. surmount
  7. skip
  8. best
Noun
  • Despite the obstacles, families will be moving into the two units within the next few weeks and will be able to stay for as long as necessary.
    — Julianna Mejia July 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • Any effort to federalize or take over elections would face serious legal obstacles, said Nahal Kazemi, a Chapman University law professor.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of obstacle
Verb
  • Clark made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone to trim Sierra Canyon’s lead to 21-14 with about nine minutes left.
    — Dan Albano, Oc Register, 19 July 2026
  • Right fielder Jac Caglianone made a leaping catch against the right-field wall in the first inning and Lane Thomas corralled a sinking line drive with a sliding catch in the sixth.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Definition of leap
Verb
  • Democrats have been struggling to overcome disarray in other messy primaries across this year’s midterm calendar.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
  • Ding said optical interconnects are becoming essential for overcoming the scalability limits of conventional server architectures.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
Definition of overcome
Noun
  • Formulas that contain a high percentage of salicylic acid are always too strong for me, ripping through my skin’s barrier and causing more breakouts and irritation.
    — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 18 July 2026
  • But sometimes just thinking about tackling those jobs can feel exhausting, creating a barrier to success even for people who are highly motivated to improve their homes and their lives by exerting control over their belongings.
    — Jolie Kerr, Washington Post, 18 July 2026
Definition of barrier
Verb
  • Jacy Jayne Before the match started, Fatal Influence jumped Tiffany Stratton, but Brie Bella hit the ring and made the save.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Scotland set up in a 5-4-1 with Ryan Christie and John McGinn timing when to jump from their wide midfield positions to press the centre-backs and trap their build-up play.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of jump
Verb
  • With flight sticking to LEO during Artemis III, communication limitations become a lot easier to surmount.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 July 2026
  • While wearables were already a hard enough curve to convince people on regarding constant data collection, embedding sensors and ways to collect data inside people’s homes will be an even higher threshold to surmount.
    — Dr. Sai Balasubramanian, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of surmount
Verb
  • The horrors of what Henry has left behind — and could easily be returned to — are hardly skipped over.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Deng skipped her title defense to play in the Evian Championship last week in France.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of skip
Verb
  • In this afternoon's earnings release , the company bested estimates.
    — Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 15 July 2026
  • No one has bested Just Fontaine’s record-breaking tally in 1958, when the France forward netted 13 times despite the nation losing in their semi-final.
    — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of best

Browse Nearby Words

hunt (through)
hurdle
hurdled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hurdle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurdle. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hurdle

Nglish: Translation of hurdle for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hurdle

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