hurdles

Everyday

1. (sport) Hurdles are a race in which runners jump over a row of light frames: the 100 metres hurdles. tree →
2. A hurdle is one of those frames. tree →
3. A problem or difficulty you must get past: the last hurdle before the holidays. tree →
4. (old, farming) A movable fence panel of woven sticks, used to pen sheep. tree →
5. (verb) to jump over something while running. tree →

In the lessons

PE and sports day: hurdles races; Olympics. Everyday figurative sense: «we've cleared the first hurdle». History and farming: wattle hurdles for sheep pens, as in old country scenes. In The Wind in the Willows the countryside has hedges and hurdles.

Examples

• She won the girls' hurdles on sports day. tree →
• He knocked over the last hurdle. tree →
• Learning to read was a big hurdle for him. tree →
• We cleared the first hurdle and got the money for the trip. tree →
• The farmer moved the hurdles to make a new sheep pen. tree →
• The horse jumped the hurdles easily. tree →
• Our class practised hurdles in PE. tree →

Note

«Hurdles» (plural) can name the race and takes a singular verb: «Hurdles is my best event.» Do not confuse with «huddle» (to crowd together). Verb: to hurdle a fence.