hard-pressed

hard-pressed

Struggling to do or accomplish something, especially because it seems impossible. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better guy than Bill. Come on—if we don't leave soon, we'll be hard-pressed to get there on time. Neela's my choice. Here, look at her résumé—if you sought to find a more qualified candidate than her, you'd be hard-pressed.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

hard pressed

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

See also: hard, press

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.