distress signal
noun
: a message that one is in danger
The pilot sent out a distress signal before the plane crashed.
Examples of distress signal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The amygdala interprets that message and sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus, the command center for involuntary bodily functions, like breathing.
—
Julia Daye, Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2025
Less than an hour into the flight, the Boeing 777-200ER plane stopped communicating with the ground, but no distress signal was sent.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Dec. 2025
If the Fitzgerald had been fitted with an EPIRB, a distress signal would have been transmitted immediately when the Fitzgerald sank.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also said that Carranza was innocent and that his boat was displaying a distress signal at the time of the attack, according to CBS News.
—Amy McCarthy, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distress signal
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Julia Daye, Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2025
Less than an hour into the flight, the Boeing 777-200ER plane stopped communicating with the ground, but no distress signal was sent.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Dec. 2025
If the Fitzgerald had been fitted with an EPIRB, a distress signal would have been transmitted immediately when the Fitzgerald sank.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also said that Carranza was innocent and that his boat was displaying a distress signal at the time of the attack, according to CBS News.
—Amy McCarthy, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distress signal
Cite this Entry
“Distress signal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distress%20signal. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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