hurdle
/ˈhɜːdl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɜːrdl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhər-dᵊl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈhɜː.dəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɝː.dəl/ (ame, ipa)
hurdle — noun
- hurdlesingular
- hurdlesplural
1. A lightweight upright frame placed on a running track or horse-racing course tha
A lightweight upright frame placed on a running track or horse-racing course that athletes or horses must jump over during a competition.
Theo knocked over a hurdle during the final sprint and was disqualified.
collocation: knock over a hurdle
Each hurdle on the track stands at a different height depending on the age group of the runners.
The heavy rain made the hurdles slippery, so the athletes had to be extra careful.
Mei-Lin practised jumping over hurdles every morning before school to improve her timing.
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form 'hurdles' when referring to the set of barriers used in a race.
常見錯誤
2. A track or horse-racing competition in which participants run and jump over a se
A track or horse-racing competition in which participants run and jump over a series of barriers placed along the course.
The women's 400-meter hurdles is one of the most exciting events at the Olympics.
collocation: 400-meter hurdles / 100-meter hurdles
Haruki won a gold medal in the hurdles at the Asian Games last year.
Zara has been training for the hurdles since she was twelve years old.
The steeplechase includes hurdles and water jumps, making it harder than a standard flat race.
- hurdle race
a more explicit term for this event
用法筆記
This sense uses 'hurdles' as a plural noun referring to a single event, e.g. 'She runs the hurdles.'
常見錯誤
3. A challenge or obstacle that you must deal with or overcome before you can achie
A challenge or obstacle that you must deal with or overcome before you can achieve something you want.
Getting a work visa was the biggest hurdle in Kwame's study abroad plan.
collocation: biggest hurdle
The first hurdle for any new business is attracting enough customers to cover the costs.
Clara saw her fear of public speaking as a hurdle she had to overcome at work.
Lack of affordable housing remains a major hurdle for young families in the city.
- obstacle
very close in meaning but slightly more formal; used for physical and abstract barriers alike
- barrier
often implies something that blocks or prevents progress entirely
- challenge
broader; can be positive or neutral, not just negative
- difficulty
general term for something hard to do or understand
用法筆記
Frequently used with verbs such as overcome, clear, face, get past, and remove. Often modified by adjectives like major, biggest, final, or legal.
常見錯誤
hurdle — verb
- hurdlepresent simple I / you / we / they
- hurdles3rd person singular
- hurdling-ing form
- hurdledpast simple
1. To leap over a physical barrier while running, especially during an athletic rac
To leap over a physical barrier while running, especially during an athletic race or while moving across rough ground.
The police officer hurdled the low wall and chased the suspect into the park.
transitive: hurdle + physical object (wall/fence/barrier)
Elena hurdled gracefully during the race, barely touching the top bar with her back foot.
To reach the beach, we had to hurdle several slippery rocks near the shoreline.
James has been hurdling since high school and now competes at the national level.
文法句型
hurdle + noun phrase
hurdle (no object) — to compete in a hurdle race
用法筆記
As an intransitive verb ('She hurdles for the university team'), it means to take part in the sport of hurdling. As a transitive verb ('He hurdled the fence'), it describes physically jumping over an object.