down-and-out
adjective
1
2
: physically weakened or incapacitated
down-and-out
noun
or down-and-outer
Examples of down-and-out in a Sentence
I'm over the flu, but I still feel down-and-out
a soup kitchen where the down-and-out daily line up for a hot meal
Recent Examples on the Web
Gardin showed us a country where the medieval and the modern, the down-and-out and la dolce vita, seemed to coexist.
—
Max Norman, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Under the deal, Westbrook has set up projects at the studio, including Sugar Bandits, based on the book Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan that follows a down-and-out Iraqi war veteran who intercepts drug deals for profit.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite promising a welcome throwback to the sort of down-and-out milieu that authors like Graham Greene once put on the map, this Lawrence Osborne adaptation winds up feeling like nothing so much as a quintessential Netflix movie: Easy to watch and impossible to care about.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
Befitting the down-and-out semis, Analog Devices put up good numbers, causing a headlong rush into internet of things (IoT).
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Rental Family, which filmed last spring in Japan, stars Brendan Fraser as a lonely, down-and-out American actor living in Tokyo.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 July 2025
Where to stay: The 65-year-old Beachside Hotel, which reopened in May after a multi-year renovation from a down-and-out motel into a retro-chic hotel, has 91 hotel rooms, a courtyard pool, and a new lobby, bar, and restaurant.
—Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 3 June 2025
Having done just that, a down-and-out husband and his pregnant wife quickly
realize that his folks don’t want them around, triggering a raucous power struggle that goes off
the rails.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Max Norman, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Under the deal, Westbrook has set up projects at the studio, including Sugar Bandits, based on the book Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan that follows a down-and-out Iraqi war veteran who intercepts drug deals for profit.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite promising a welcome throwback to the sort of down-and-out milieu that authors like Graham Greene once put on the map, this Lawrence Osborne adaptation winds up feeling like nothing so much as a quintessential Netflix movie: Easy to watch and impossible to care about.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
Befitting the down-and-out semis, Analog Devices put up good numbers, causing a headlong rush into internet of things (IoT).
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Rental Family, which filmed last spring in Japan, stars Brendan Fraser as a lonely, down-and-out American actor living in Tokyo.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 July 2025
Where to stay: The 65-year-old Beachside Hotel, which reopened in May after a multi-year renovation from a down-and-out motel into a retro-chic hotel, has 91 hotel rooms, a courtyard pool, and a new lobby, bar, and restaurant.
—Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 3 June 2025
Having done just that, a down-and-out husband and his pregnant wife quickly
realize that his folks don’t want them around, triggering a raucous power struggle that goes off
the rails.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Down-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/down-and-out. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share