Dictionary

hard-pressed en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, usually, with to-infinitive) Barely able; having difficulty doing something.
   • Although they are still available, I think we would be hard-pressed to find one on short notice.
   • These units will replace the 2,800 h.p. motor coaches on the fast and heavy Zurich-Berne-Lausanne-Geneva push-and-pull expresses, which in their turn have been relieving the hard-pressed 2,520 h.p. Bo-Bo locomotives of the Re 4/4 type. 1962 December, “Beyond the Channel: Switzerland: Federal Railways' progress”, in Modern Railways, page 417:
   • From the 'fifties onwards the development of the South Wales & Monmouthshire coalfield went on at terrific speed, and railway construction was hard pressed to keep pace with it. 1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 157:
2. (idiomatic) Experiencing financial difficulty or difficulty in surviving.
   • The earthquake left the residents hard-pressed.
   • Speaking to Parliament on March 23, Sunak announced a temporary cut in fuel duty of 5p per litre to hard-pressed motorists who have faced spiralling prices for diesel and petrol in recent weeks. 2022 April 6, “Network News: Spring Statement: Sunak accused of making rail less competitive”, in RAIL, number 954, page 8:

Forms

Synonyms

hard pushed · hard put · in dire straits

Translations (4)

fi vaikea (barely able) · pl pod presją (in financial or survival difficulty) · fi vaikeudet (in financial or survival difficulty) · pl przyparty do muru (barely able)