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
On this day in 1909: The SOS radio distress signal was heard in action for the first time, sent by the SS Arapahoe off the coast of North Carolina.
—
Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 11 Aug. 2025
No distress signal was sent from the sinking vessel, but at 9:30 p.m. July 8, Coast Guard watchstanders received a report that the 22-foot pleasure craft was overdue near Freeport, according to a July 9 news release.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2025
The distress signal has been featured in several anti-Trump protests, to signal federal land and federal workers are under threat.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
The solution was not to create a new one nor fly it upside down in a nod to a maritime distress signal of being in danger.
—Roxanne Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for distress signal
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Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 11 Aug. 2025
No distress signal was sent from the sinking vessel, but at 9:30 p.m. July 8, Coast Guard watchstanders received a report that the 22-foot pleasure craft was overdue near Freeport, according to a July 9 news release.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2025
The distress signal has been featured in several anti-Trump protests, to signal federal land and federal workers are under threat.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
The solution was not to create a new one nor fly it upside down in a nod to a maritime distress signal of being in danger.
—Roxanne Robinson, Forbes.com, 18 July 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 21 Aug. 2025.
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