How to Use hard-pressed in a Sentence

hard-pressed

adjective
  • The Beavers will be hard-pressed to reach that level of success.
    — Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024
  • Drinkers may be hard-pressed to find better cider than those made locally.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 June 2025
  • Ehlinger, though, might be hard-pressed for a roster spot after an uneven start to camp.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Stories that, even at the age of six, Jena was hard-pressed to believe.
    — Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Each brings strong resumés and versatile skill sets, but will be hard-pressed to replace the star trio.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2025
  • Many borrowers could be hard-pressed to get new funding for those properties.
    — Steve Brown, Dallas News, 8 June 2023
  • Simply put, the Hurricanes will be hard-pressed to avoid an upset.
    — Keven Lerner, Sun Sentinel, 2 Oct. 2024
  • If that occurs, the Fed could be hard-pressed to continue its rate-cutting push.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Miners have already invested in their equipment and would be hard-pressed to throw it all away, for one.
    — Justine Calma, The Verge, 11 July 2023
  • But young renters would be hard-pressed to find a market that isn’t rapidly outpacing their paycheck.
    — Jane Thier, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
  • Scientists, for their part, were hard-pressed to pinpoint the cause of the disaster.
    — Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Absent outside help, first-time buyers are often hard-pressed to put 20% down.
    — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
  • Whoever gets the job will be hard-pressed to turn around an economy that’s collapsed in recent years.
    — Dana Khraiche, Bloomberg.com, 5 June 2023
  • In the Lions’ den at Ford Field, Williams will be hard-pressed to find running room.
    — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2024
  • People are genuinely feeling hard-pressed.
    — Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 22 May 2026
  • But both are going to be hard-pressed to deliver on those expectations this March.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Bounty hunters facing off, nearly invincible against normal bad guys, but hard-pressed in an even match.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • Indeed, Justice Thomas would have been hard-pressed to get a loan from a traditional lender.
    — Julie Tate, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2023
  • With the aprons threatening, the Magic front office will be hard-pressed to maintain its roster depth for the long term.
    — Josh Robbins, New York Times, 16 June 2025
  • Ten years and tens of millions in salary separate the pitchers, but those who watched Thursday would be hard-pressed to notice.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 May 2025
  • Kansas City has been hard-pressed to find a second receiver that can match Hopkins, and that might be the case now.
    — James Brizuela, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
  • But if the House can squeeze its plan through incredibly tight margins, the Senate will be hard-pressed to refuse it.
    — Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
  • Indiana has an explosive offense that Miami will be hard-pressed to slow down.
    — Keven Lerner, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
  • And given budget constraints, California will be hard-pressed to do more for caregivers and those who need care.
    — Steve Lopez, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
  • The Bulls take on the Bucks tonight in Milwaukee, but Chicago fans will be hard-pressed to watch it.
    — Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024
  • Value for money has been next to nil and even an eternal optimist would be hard-pressed to visualise a redemption arc.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • On the field, Ole Miss has an explosive offense that Miami will be hard-pressed to slow down.
    — Keven Lerner, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Salmon and steelhead anglers will be hard-pressed to find a better rod than the Okuma X-Series.
    — Christopher Murray May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
  • Of course, if London isn't able to play in either of those games, Atlanta could be hard-pressed to have a shot at victory.
    — Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
  • But the Tiffany network will be hard-pressed to be the driver of significant growth for the entire company.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hard-pressed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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