hard-pressed

Or hard·pressed

[hahrd-prest]

adjective

1. heavily burdened or oppressed, as by overwork or financial difficulties; harried; put-upon.

   Synonyms: beleaguered

hard-pressed

adjective

1. in difficulties

   the swimmer was hard-pressed

2. subject to severe competition

3. subject to severe attack

4. closely pursued

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard-pressed¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Idioms and Phrases

Overburdened, put upon, as in With all these bills to pay we find ourselves hard pressed. [c. 1800]

Example Sentences

But Warner and its chief executive, David Zaslav, might be hard-pressed to keep turning away David Ellison, CEO of Paramount.

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Sometimes Autumn knows how I feel before I even tell her, which means I’d be hard-pressed to get anything past her.

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The Liberal Democrats are calling for a 5% cut in VAT in this month's budget to support the UK's ailing hospitality sector and their hard-pressed customers.

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Yet I’m hard-pressed to find anyone who’s truly excited about devoting half a day to see the next installment, which clocks in at 3 hours and 12 minutes.

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Webber said the SNP had "betrayed islanders and taxpayers at every turn" by leaving remote communities reliant on out-of-date vessels while "letting costs spiral out of control for hard-pressed Scots".

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