Hurdle is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, its most common meanings have to do with barriers: the ones that runners leap over, and the metaphorical extension of these, the figurative barriers and obstacles we try to similarly overcome. The verb hurdle has two meanings, and they are directly related to these.

to run in a race in which there are hurdles to be jumped over, or to jump over something while running: He hurdled the gate and scrambled up the hill. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Athletics.