Meaning & use

hurdle

noun·Academic

An obstacle that must be overcome, or a barrier jumped over in a track race.

See it in a sentence

Finding funding was the first major hurdle for the new business.

The runner cleared the final hurdle just ahead of her rival.

A note on using this word

"Hurdle" is most often used figuratively in everyday speech to mean a difficulty or challenge to overcome.

Words with a similar meaning

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