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
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Feb. 2026
Industries with heavy regulatory hurdles, where adoption will be slowed by compliance, liability, and institutional inertia.
—Matt Shumer, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
That round of talks, in Abu Dhabi, yielded the first prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia in five months and a vague agreement to continue negotiating, but no apparent progress on the major hurdles to a wider peace deal.
—Mariia Kashchenko, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
People living far from their birthplaces face long-distance bureaucratic hurdles to get them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
Besides Bolton’s pending appeal to civil court, there are still a few more hurdles developers will need to face before construction can begin.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Funding is scarce, research moves slowly, and regulatory hurdles make even the most promising ideas difficult to advance.
—Brad Quick, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
Raised in a rural village four hours from the Algerian capital, Khelif sold scrap copper as a young girl to fund her training, overcoming significant economic and societal hurdles.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Even with the rapidly decreasing price of launching things into space, there are incredible technological and financial hurdles that stand in the way of exploiting resources in orbit.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
Long charging times and limited ranges are still two major hurdles that deter many potential EV buyers.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Feb. 2026
Industries with heavy regulatory hurdles, where adoption will be slowed by compliance, liability, and institutional inertia.
—Matt Shumer, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
That round of talks, in Abu Dhabi, yielded the first prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia in five months and a vague agreement to continue negotiating, but no apparent progress on the major hurdles to a wider peace deal.
—Mariia Kashchenko, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
People living far from their birthplaces face long-distance bureaucratic hurdles to get them.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
Besides Bolton’s pending appeal to civil court, there are still a few more hurdles developers will need to face before construction can begin.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Funding is scarce, research moves slowly, and regulatory hurdles make even the most promising ideas difficult to advance.
—Brad Quick, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
Raised in a rural village four hours from the Algerian capital, Khelif sold scrap copper as a young girl to fund her training, overcoming significant economic and societal hurdles.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Even with the rapidly decreasing price of launching things into space, there are incredible technological and financial hurdles that stand in the way of exploiting resources in orbit.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurdles
Noun
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The researchers created the virtual animals and released them into a synthetic world, giving them tasks on how to navigate, avoid obstacles and find food.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The secluded area in Arizona where Guthrie lives and appears to have been kidnapped in the early morning hours of February 1 continues to present obstacles, as does the intense media scrutiny.—
Elizabeth Hartfield,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But then, the moment Buckley walks on, the entire audience leaps to its feet, roaring and clapping for her.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
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In a cult classic 1976 film, The Bill Koch Experience, the star slaloms at perilous speed through low brush, dodges cows in a pasture, and also leaps off a boulder, only to tumble.—
Bill Donahue,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Reducing meetings to once a month and limiting public comment create barriers.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Last year’s blitz of bills, capping off years of gradual legislative efforts to remove regulatory barriers to building dense housing across California, has, in Wicks’ view, teed up this next big swing.—
Ben Christopher,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Finish with a few light jumps, head into the shower, exfoliate, and finish with body oil.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Jamie Squire—Getty Images Instead, the surprise Olympic men’s champion is Mikhail Shaidorov from Kazakhstan, who landed five quad jumps to earn the gold—his country’s first in the event.—
Alice Park,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In contrast, the ABF crystal, designed and grown by Chinese scientists over more than a decade, overcomes many of these obstacles.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
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After a sluggish start, Texas overcomes a 14-point deficit to tie the game before OU's Xzayvier Brown hits a 3-pointer to give his team the halftime lead.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Crews advanced hose lines to the second floor and had difficulty gaining access because of obstructions behind the bedroom door, according to the release.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Check slopes for bare spots, holes and obstructions, like rocks, fences or poles.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One reader skips the green pepper entirely and adds extra green onions instead, while another suggests seasoning the sauce to taste and finishing it with a layer of mozzarella during the last few minutes of baking.—
Maggie Meyer Glisan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Feb. 2026
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This eerie sensation is further enhanced by elliptical editing that seamlessly skips back and forth in time across the span of just a few days, creating a sense of fluidity across what should feel discontinuous.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The towers are also able to reach a capacity factor of about 32%, which bests that of flat panels, which come in around 22%.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Oct. 2025
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And China now bests the United States in 57 out of 64 critical and emerging technologies, per a 2024 study.—
Mircea Geoană,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurdles. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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