in distress

idiom

1
: very upset
He was clearly in distress upon hearing the news.
2
: in a very difficult situation in which one does not have enough money, food, etc.
She's chosen to devote her life to helping those in distress.
3
of a boat, airplane, etc. : in a state of danger or desperate need
The ship was in distress.

Examples of in distress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From the high rack, Moyer selects various sounds — a crippled jaybird, a fox in distress — from the remote control slung around his neck. Britta Lokting, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024 When neighbors show up with a horse in distress, things stark to take a weird turn. Erik Kain, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024 Surely there must be a lonely bear willing to rescue a 20-something fetishist in distress. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024 Frasers Group is the owner of a host of retail brands from Sports Direct and Evans Cycles to the House of Fraser department store chain, luxury fashion chain Flannels and multiple brands across apparel and sports, which colorful Frasers’ supremo Mike Ashley has been buying, often in distress sales. Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for in distress 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in distress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near in distress

Cite this Entry

“In distress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20distress. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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