idiom · informal
be hard up
UK/biː hɑːd ʌp/US/biː hɑrd ʌp/HARD·up
speakingtask2
short of money for a period of time; struggling financially but not necessarily destitute
Examples
“After renting a flat in the city, I was really hard up for a few months.”
“Many students are hard up during holidays when part‑time work dries up.”
“She was hard up for cash after losing her temporary job.”
Band 8 sentence
“I remember after university I was really hard up for cash, so I took three part‑time jobs to keep my finances afloat.”
Collocations
- be hard up for money
- be hard up for cash
Word family
hard‑up adjectivehard up (phrase) adjective phrase
Common mistakes
I'm hard up in money.→I'm hard up for money.
He very hard up.→He is hard up.
Say it for a higher band
5be poor→6be short of money→7+be hard up
Synonyms
broke
short of money
Easily confused
broke
“After his internship he was completely broke.”
Related words
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In Hardship
Learn it with its set