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
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2025
Yet many Venezuelans are facing significant hurdles when seeking asylum in the United States and elsewhere.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Mamdani will face high expectations and even higher barriers to executing an agenda that includes enormous bureaucratic, political, and logistic hurdles.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
And Mamdani’s promised rent freeze faces multiple hurdles — including the possibility that outgoing Mayor Eric Adams will stack the Rent Guidelines Board with his own appointees who won’t go along with a freeze.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Meet Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 26-year-old track star who has excelled in both the 400 meters and the 400-meter hurdles on the way to becoming one of the most dominant American athletes, regardless of the sport.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 4 Nov. 2025
Separately, industry experts point to fundamental technical hurdles.
—Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The landfill project has faced several hurdles and drawn the ire of residents since 2024, when Chisholm filed an application for a permit.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
And, concerning for people who are getting left behind, the US government began pushing safety-net programs in the opposite direction, reducing benefits and increasing hurdles to access support.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
One of the largest hurdles was ensuring that behavior learned on Earth would translate to space, an issue often called the Sim2Real gap.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2025
Yet many Venezuelans are facing significant hurdles when seeking asylum in the United States and elsewhere.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Mamdani will face high expectations and even higher barriers to executing an agenda that includes enormous bureaucratic, political, and logistic hurdles.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
And Mamdani’s promised rent freeze faces multiple hurdles — including the possibility that outgoing Mayor Eric Adams will stack the Rent Guidelines Board with his own appointees who won’t go along with a freeze.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Meet Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 26-year-old track star who has excelled in both the 400 meters and the 400-meter hurdles on the way to becoming one of the most dominant American athletes, regardless of the sport.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 4 Nov. 2025
Separately, industry experts point to fundamental technical hurdles.
—Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The landfill project has faced several hurdles and drawn the ire of residents since 2024, when Chisholm filed an application for a permit.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
And, concerning for people who are getting left behind, the US government began pushing safety-net programs in the opposite direction, reducing benefits and increasing hurdles to access support.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurdles
Noun
-
Sununu ultimately prevailed in his 2002 Senate campaign, but not without criticism and obstacles from the pro-Israel lobby due to his voting record, which some Jewish organizations and leaders perceived as anti-Israel.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
-
With fewer obstacles in the air than on the road, autonomous flight might actually prove safer than driving.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The biannual launches of China’s Shenzhou program have been a source of pride as the country’s space program makes giant leaps forward.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Put the thing in Sport mode, and any time your right ankle twitches on the accelerator, the car absolutely leaps forward.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
By targeting breeding grounds and establishing protective barriers, Hawx helps families reclaim their outdoor spaces.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
American Indian and Alaska Native elders face significant systemic barriers to accessing health and social support and have a lower life expectancy than all other populations in the United States.—
Holly J. McDede,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Upon second offense, the fine jumps to $17,389.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The movie jumps forward several decades.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Quick and direct, this young adult novel in verse about a closeted Black boy who overcomes fear and shame through the power of poetry reads almost like a journal entry.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Inflatable module overcomes launch constraints Orbital platforms are typically constrained by limitations related to the launch vehicle.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The tablets will also note street obstructions.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
-
If possible, position yourself in a flat, open area with minimal tree cover, rocks, cliffs, or other obstructions that may block the sound of the whistle.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the show skips straight to dessert without building any connective tissue in the form of character depth or believable tension.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Berkshire has never had public or investor relations departments, and the company skips the quarterly investor calls that nearly every public company holds.—
Josh Funk,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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 11 Nov. 2025.
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