in distress

phrase

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

But for a franchise that had spent decades in distress, enough was finally enough. — Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

They are expected to recognize threats, handle confrontations, summon police and emergency responders, assist people in distress and make sound decisions under pressure. — Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Bostick died later that year, however, and the trust's volunteers realized the tree was in distress. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

EnCon police with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to a report of swimmers in distress in Candlewood Lake, according to Will Healey, spokesperson with DEEP. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for in distress

• abs
• acquiesce
• authoress
• bodiless
• coalesce
• decompress
• dispossess
• faithfulness
• letterpress
• mayoress
• murderess
• nonetheless