How to Use distress in a Sentence

distress

1 of 2 noun
  • The patient showed no obvious signs of distress.
  • Citizens voiced their distress over delays in fixing the problem.
  • He suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the accident.
  • Our minds jump to the worst-case scenario in times of distress.
    Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2022
  • Neither the plane nor its crew had sent a distress call.
    USA Today, 11 Jan. 2020
  • Even the thought of four more years brought its own strange layer of distress.
    Elaina Plott, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2020
  • The events of that day and the ensuing weeks of distress altered her plan.
    Paul Schwartzman and Peter Jamison, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Jan. 2022
  • You are forced to confront the source of your distress every day.
    Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 30 Sep. 2020
  • Alarms blare in the background along with cries of people in distress.
    chicagotribune.com, 26 Dec. 2020
  • Dispatch calls from that day seemed to share the same level of distress.
    Amir Vera and Pierre Meilhan, CNN, 15 June 2020
  • Each of these treatments, alone, cause a lot of distress.
    Julia Ries, Health.com, 7 Apr. 2022
  • The film’s heroes may not be so heroic and the damsels may not be in much distress.
    Mark Olsen, latimes.com, 27 June 2018
  • But in the back of the room, a girl from Guatemala is in obvious distress.
    BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2019
  • Bob is a dude in distress and your gal pal is in damsel-to-the-rescue mode.
    Author: Wayne and Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, 15 June 2019
  • Now came a distress call from the München — then silence.
    Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2020
  • In spite of this, the rig never showed any signs of distress due to the subpar weather.
    Jonathon Ramsey, Car and Driver, 28 May 2023
  • He had been called to a restaurant where John was in distress.
    Doug Smith Senior Writer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2021
  • Rough seas could have swamped it, but there was no storm, and no distress call.
    Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 13 Mar. 2018
  • This is the first time she's ever faced a customer in distress.
    Fernando Alfonso Iii, Houston Chronicle, 11 Dec. 2017
  • Of course, the oil industry was in deep distress just two years ago.
    Matt Egan, CNN, 16 Mar. 2022
  • Hampered with a leg injury, the plucky Alex gets to be the damsel in distress.
    Katie Walsh, kansascity, 5 Oct. 2017
  • In all of them but one, Cruz has played mothers in distress.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2021
  • More than four hours had passed since the initial distress signal.
    Outside Online, 17 Apr. 2018
  • Kim is in distress — a new set of photos is haunting her.
    Mariah Smith, The Cut, 16 Oct. 2017
  • On the flip side, some people deal with distress by joking.
    Nancy A Shenker, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2022
  • Hearing this, Ryan pastes a look of distress on his face.
    Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, 28 Sep. 2017
  • This is, indeed, a matter of burnout and moral distress.
    Harris Solomon, STAT, 9 Jan. 2022
  • Like the screen split open and the late-night talk-show host became your neighbor at the door, in distress.
    Michael Paterniti, GQ, 17 Jan. 2018
  • This is not to minimize the distress such tactics can cause.
    Thomas Healy, The Atlantic, 18 June 2017
  • Old screams are not so scary — that damsel-in-distress stuff doesn’t play now.
    Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2020
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distress

2 of 2 verb
  • Boyfriend jeans are a huge trend, and these have just the right amount of distressing.
    Meredith Rollins, Redbook, 30 Apr. 2014
  • The cause is a mystery — and the symptoms can be distressing.
    Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 13 July 2023
  • The surfaces of her pieces are cut, sawn, gouged, distressed, smeared.
    Thomas Hine, Philly.com, 31 May 2018
  • The woman told police that the frequent visits and gifts distressed her son.
    Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com, 28 June 2017
  • Boys, avoid all circumstances that will distress the wife who has been obliged to stay home and keep up with the children.
    Ione Quinby Griggs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2017
  • In the same way that distressed jeans have long been a staple of men's style, faded black jeans are joining the fray.
    Jake Woolf, GQ, 5 Apr. 2018
  • His back legs kept giving out, too, which appeared to distress him.
    Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 27 May 2021
  • Constant itching can be distressing for both you and your pet.
    Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 29 July 2023
  • And, of course, hoping for the best with Irap and all horses that are injured or distressed.
    John Cherwa, latimes.com, 19 Oct. 2017
  • Some residents of the city were distressed by the president’s visit.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2019
  • Kendall said Air Force officials are distressed by the leaks.
    Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Light distressing adds style to these relaxed but polished jeans.
    The Seattle Times, 7 Sep. 2017
  • My mother was always distressed by the fact that so many beautiful houses were torn down.
    Marc Bona, cleveland.com, 18 Apr. 2018
  • Yes, comforting a child who is hurt or distressed is what parenting is all about.
    Amy Dickinson, The Denver Post, 24 June 2019
  • Both people with autism and those with anorexia tend to be rigid, detail-oriented and distressed by change.
    Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2016
  • The state Distressed Unit Appeals Board is the state body that will oversee the district.
    Carole Carlson, Post-Tribune, 9 May 2017
  • In the women's singles draw, there were distressing scenes on Court No.
    CNN, 6 July 2017
  • Trump's shift to managing his own legal strategy has distressed some of his lawyers.
    Pamela Brown, CNN, 21 Mar. 2018
  • Gardner said the news is distressing to many members of the campus community.
    Sean McDonnell, Cincinnati.com, 5 Mar. 2020
  • Wait at least three days for unsealed paint to dry before distressing, then finish with your preferred sealant.
    Anna Logan, Country Living, 4 May 2023
  • This could lead to accidents and incontinence issues that can be distressing for both the dog and their owner.
    Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2023
  • Hearing noises from the house, and distressed by her trypophobia, Ally runs back to her house and calls the police.
    Amy MacKelden, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Oct. 2017
  • But just nine days into the new union, Cher, distressed by Allman's drug use, walked out.
    Deborah Wilker, Billboard, 27 May 2017
  • The added noise and commotion can be distressing to the animals, who can’t escape it, studies show.
    National Geographic, 3 Feb. 2017
  • Some read distressing news followed by a piece about a heroic act or something lighthearted.
    Cquinn, cleveland, 29 July 2023
  • In her lawsuit, Valentino describes being distressed by the recent death of her six-year-old son.
    Vulture, 1 June 2023
  • These beeps and pings throughout the night relay information in regards to boat distresses or boat landings.
    Alexandra Wynne, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Dec. 2016
  • Greg had a habit, distressing from my perspective, of talking a lot about BMs.
    John Jeremiah Sullivan, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Snowplows barrel down, a death rattle distressing the streets.
    David Roderick, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2018
  • However, to throw away the sole woman of color on the show—as if her five-season run was all for nothing—was distressing to many.
    Jill Gutowitz, Glamour, 8 May 2019

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

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