hard-put

[ hahrd-poot ]

adjective

1. hard ( def 57 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard-put¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

If it’s possible to work around a no-beard policy when the stakes are life and death, I’m hard-put to imagine a job where accommodation isn’t possible.

From Washington Post

I’m hard-put to advise today’s graduates on how to succeed in the workplace.

From Washington Post

You will be hard-put to find the Mart mentioned in the literature about what Thomas Mann dubbed “German California.”

From Los Angeles Times

Now the Russians will be hard-put to encircle the Ukrainian forces in the east, which have been fighting Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

From Washington Post

In media interviews, Israeli officials were quizzed over whether Trump had “betrayed” the Kurds - a term they seemed hard-put to deny.

From Reuters

Related Words

• constrained
• labored
• stiff
• tense
• tight
• uneasy