as in obstacles
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the many hurdles he had to overcome on the road to success
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Recent Examples of hurdles
Chandler Boese, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Realistically, there is no end of hurdles — legal, political, practical — that would have to be surmounted for a partial Texas-New Mexico merger to occur.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
While inflation has cooled from prior highs, most households are still struggling under the weight of elevated living costs, high-rate (and compounding) debt issues and other ongoing economic hurdles.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Even so, tribal patients can get tangled in administrative hurdles.
—Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
The company is ushering a new approach to solving the industry’s biggest hurdles with Denim Codes, a collection intended to bring together material innovation, garment expertise, and advanced finishing into a clear and common language.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026
Even if the project clears its financial and political hurdles, questions remain about what exactly Baltimore would be getting.
—Michael Howes, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2026
One of the biggest hurdles for elders seeking guidance when the state intervenes in their personal affairs is the opacity of the Florida law governing adult protection.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
The legislation, the latest in a long effort by some lawmakers of both parties to rein in the price of insulin, faces many hurdles, including concerns about the cost and other competing congressional priorities.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
Each tax and bond issue tracked by The Star was passed by voters, as well as a property tax cap in Platte County, which still faces legal hurdles.
—Chandler Boese, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Realistically, there is no end of hurdles — legal, political, practical — that would have to be surmounted for a partial Texas-New Mexico merger to occur.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
While inflation has cooled from prior highs, most households are still struggling under the weight of elevated living costs, high-rate (and compounding) debt issues and other ongoing economic hurdles.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Even so, tribal patients can get tangled in administrative hurdles.
—Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
The company is ushering a new approach to solving the industry’s biggest hurdles with Denim Codes, a collection intended to bring together material innovation, garment expertise, and advanced finishing into a clear and common language.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026
Even if the project clears its financial and political hurdles, questions remain about what exactly Baltimore would be getting.
—Michael Howes, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2026
One of the biggest hurdles for elders seeking guidance when the state intervenes in their personal affairs is the opacity of the Florida law governing adult protection.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
The legislation, the latest in a long effort by some lawmakers of both parties to rein in the price of insulin, faces many hurdles, including concerns about the cost and other competing congressional priorities.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurdles
Noun
-
Whereas waterfalls present fish obstacles in rising above their circumstances, five orders and eight families, from South America, Asia, and Australia, have overcome the impossible.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Apr. 2026
-
At the same time, the physicists don’t see any insurmountable obstacles.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Romeo leaps to his feet and embraces Juliet, both of them saved; Juliet-as-an-old-woman appears and dances with Romeo as an older Romeo does the same with Juliet; Romeo and Juliet dote over a baby that will never be born.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Another young girl, Maria Antonia’s best friend, leaps out of her desk to wrap her arms around her.—
Mica Rosenberg,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
By simplifying adaptation and reducing technical barriers, the platform could broaden the use of eco-friendly drones across research and industry.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But the realities of that kind of AI takeover of Hollywood are hindered by multiple barriers to entry, including labor contracts, ongoing copyright questions and actual consumer interest.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And as the federal government jumps into the fray, looking not only for the particles but also the potential effects on human health, the risk to the multibillion-dollar chemical and fossil fuel companies that manufacture and distribute these products grows.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Engineers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, also known as KAIST, built a humanoid that runs, jumps and even moonwalks with smooth control.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This overcomes a key limitation in the field, and could help improve technologies that use sunlight to produce clean fuels and chemicals.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Leo consistently overcomes challenges such as low light, rapid movement, and split second moments to produce sharp, compelling images.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the Scot hooked his second shot from a wet fairway on the 609-yard closing hole — a par 5 that yielded only 10 birdies in the final round — and even after getting relief from temporary immovable obstructions, MacIntyre could only hit wedge to 30 feet.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
But there are wild cards, including potential obstructions from Orion’s solar arrays or the body of the spacecraft and uncertainty about how well the vehicle can maintain a consistent orientation.—
Adam Bluestein,
Scientific American,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Smith said his family never skips a Southern staple known as cornbread salad.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
-
At the end of The Age of Innocence (1920), Edith Wharton skips forward from her 1870s setting to give us an early-twentieth-century glimpse of her protagonist Newland Archer.—
Michael Gorra,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There’s no perfect style of pizza that bests the rest.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Its maximum output easily bests that of the standard Cayenne Electric, which makes 435 hp, but lags far behind that of the turbo, which makes an outlandish 1,139 hp.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurdles. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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