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hurdle Definition

hur·dle (hʉrd'l)

noun

  1. Chiefly Brit. a portable frame made of interlaced twigs, etc., used as a temporary fence or enclosure
  2. a kind of frame or sled on which prisoners in England were drawn through the streets to execution
  3. any of a series of framelike barriers over which horses or runners must leap in a special race (the hurdles)
  4. a difficulty to be overcome; obstacle

Etymology: ME hirdel < OE hyrdel < Gmc base *hurd-, wickerwork, hurdle, akin to hyrd, door, Frank *hurda, a pen, fold < IE base *kert-, to plait, twist together > L cratis (see crate), Gr kyrtos, bird cage

transitive verb -·dled, -·dling

  1. to enclose or fence off with hurdles
  2. to jump over (a barrier), as in a race
  3. to overcome (an obstacle)

hurdle Related Forms
hur·dler noun
hurdle Synonyms

hurdle

n.

  1. A physical barrier

    barricade, earthwork, blockade; see barrier.

  2. Something in one's way

    complication, obstacle, obstruction; see difficulty 1, impediment 1, interference 1.

hurdle Synonyms

hurdle

v.

jump over, jump across, scale, vault, surmount, leap over, overcome, hop the sticks*; see also jump 1.

hurdle Usage Examples

Object

  • debut: Wetherby Races 11th May 2006 Turbulent Flight was making her hurdling debut in the two mile conditional jockeys race.

Converse of object

  • overcome: However, once you overcome these hurdles, the software is a very pleasant to use.
  • surmount: Even if he surmounted those hurdles, there was a further problem, as Ron pointed out on UK national television.
  • jump: Peter feels he is jumping hurdles all the time with work produced against the odds.
  • leap: Their job is to ensure that the number of young people leaping the hurdle increases year on year.

Adjective modifier

  • 400m: Woodward, coached by Matt Hargreaves, also picked up a gold medal in the 400m hurdles.
  • 80m: Amy Lloyd scored a bloodless victory in the 80m hurdles winning in 13.2 secs.
  • 110m: The 110m hurdles drew only two athletes - both from Wakefield.
  • 75m: She won the 100m and 75m hurdles in 13.4 and 12.5 and the long jump with 4.65 meters.
  • 100m: Ruth Dales faced Atlanta Olympic hurdles heroine Angie Thorpe representing Wigan AC in the A 100m hurdles.
  • 300m: Katie Hewitt at 300m hurdles was 6th in her heat in 48.32 secs.

Modifies a noun

  • B: De Jager also won the sprint hurdles B race.

Noun used with modifier

  • aug/sept: Cheers Bee __________________ Me 30 fsh10 PCOS DH 59 failed vas reversal 1st ICSI stopped poor responce 2nd ICSI aug/sept Hurdles galore!
  • no-lawsuit: Even if the that is discriminatory the no-lawsuit hurdle.
  • sprint: However, both of Jackson's chief rivals for the sprint hurdles title also made it into the second round later today.
  • handicap: Murphy said: " Spring Breeze will run in the two and a half mile handicap hurdle.
  • meter: The race to the finish soon became a 100 meter hurdle sprint.
  • novice: The Saltire Tiger was running in the two and a half mile novice hurdle.

Possessives

  • novice: Ballynure ran in the novices ' hurdle, which was a very competitive race.

Preposition: in

  • sec: Katie Hewitt won 300m hurdles in 46.4 and was 2nd in 80m hurdles in 12.4 sec.

Browse dictionary entries near hurdle

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