From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe hurtingbe hurtingAmerican English a) informalUPSET to feel very upset or unhappy about something Martha’s going through a divorce and really hurting right now. b) NOT HAVEif a group, organization etc is hurting, they do not have something important that they needbe hurting for The team is hurting for quarterbacks. → hurt
Examples from the Corpus
be hurting• Martha's going through a divorce and really hurting right now.• When Mary left, I knew how much you were hurting.• Tony has a car, a country club membership - he's not hurting.• A lot of people are hurting.• As the recession deepened into slump, the people tried to tell their government they were hurting.• Plus, I was hurt, my leg was hurting.• She was tired, and her arms and back were hurting.• What must be hurting him today is that others did not have the courage to do the same to him.• They told him his protest was hurting his cause.• However, critics say in doing so, Congress is hurting the poorest of the poor. 