in dire straits

idiom

: in a very bad or difficult situation
With its best player out of the game, the team found itself in dire straits.

Examples of in dire straits in a Sentence

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But even some young Gen Xers in this group are finding themselves in dire straits. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2024 Tribes would be in dire straits without the colleges, said Carmelita Lamb, a professor at the University of Mary in North Dakota who has taught at and studied tribal colleges. Matt Krupnick, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2024 Zelda has gone from the one in dire straits to the hero forging ahead to the rescue. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2024 While inspecting the car, technicians discover another tire is on the verge of failing catastrophically—but the owner is in dire straits and can't afford the replacement. Heather Newman, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for in dire straits 

Dictionary Entries Near in dire straits

Cite this Entry

“In dire straits.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20dire%20straits. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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