hard up

adjective

1
: short of money
2
: poorly provided
hard up for friends

Examples of hard up in a Sentence

despite being undeniably hard up, they had too much pride to accept charity
Recent Examples on the Web Once the timing of the case pushed hard up against a national election in which Trump was likely to run, forbearance would have been the proper and public-spirited course. Rich Lowry, National Review, 14 Jan. 2024 Considering the Heat’s position hard up against the second apron of the punitive luxury tax, 10–day contracts stand as a means to pay only when needed, 10 days at a time, at the veteran-minimum, scale. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024 The Habs are getting there, incrementally, and GM Kent Hughes might have to consider surrendering the No. 5 pick if one of the 10-12 clubs hard up against the cap offers an overpayment in terms of legit NHL players under contract. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2023 David Shoemaker then got three straight groundballs, the first scoring a run and the second stranding runners on second and third and Penn leading 5-3. Samford’s Josh Rodriguez then bounced the ball hard up the middle, and Penn’s Ryan Taylor threw wildly to first. Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 4 June 2023 For most of this past season, with the Heat hard up against the punitive luxury tax, the 15th and final roster spot was left vacant. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2023 After all, rom-coms are now an endangered species, at least on the big screen; most modern examples of the genre have been left to rot on streaming services, with the production value of a commercial and casts made up of nameless twentysomethings and maybe a B- or C-lister who’s hard up for cash. Brianna Zigler, Chron, 19 Oct. 2022 Replacing Wooden, with his versatility along the line, is no simple task, but that’s part of why Auburn hit the portal hard up front. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 27 Feb. 2023 Even after running hard up a hill for 5 minutes with a heart rate north of 180, somehow my legs still felt sluggish, and not just for the first rep, but all five of them. Matt Bach, Men's Health, 25 Feb. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard up was in 1821

Dictionary Entries Near hard up

Cite this Entry

“Hard up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard%20up. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hard up

adjective
1
: short of money
2
: poorly provided
hard up for friends
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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