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
Recent Examples on the Web
The Panama Canal, which connects Atlantic and Pacific trading routes, has been in dire straits for some time.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
The United Nations reports mass graves and gang rapes, 18 million people at risk of starvation, and almost 10 million displaced within the country in addition to the 1.8 million who have fled to neighboring states such as Chad and South Sudan, which are themselves in dire straits.
—Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
And now Fisker, already in dire straits, might become one of the first big casualties of the slowdown.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
However, parent Cagiva was now in dire straits financially, and sold off Ducati to a group in Texas.
—William Roberson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Families most often arrive already in dire straits, legally and economically, because of situations caused by heirs’ property.
—Patrice Gaines, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024
In February 2011, Hitchcock sent a text message that suggested the company was in dire straits.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Icelandic volcano erupts for second time in under a month
The Icelandic town of Grindavík is in dire straits after a nearby volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month on Sunday.
—Justin Klawans, The Week Us, theweek, 15 Jan. 2024
In March of last year the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning specifically about how AI scams were tricking grandparents into thinking their grandchild was in dire straits by cloning their voice.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2024
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
The United Nations reports mass graves and gang rapes, 18 million people at risk of starvation, and almost 10 million displaced within the country in addition to the 1.8 million who have fled to neighboring states such as Chad and South Sudan, which are themselves in dire straits.
—Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
And now Fisker, already in dire straits, might become one of the first big casualties of the slowdown.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
However, parent Cagiva was now in dire straits financially, and sold off Ducati to a group in Texas.
—William Roberson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Families most often arrive already in dire straits, legally and economically, because of situations caused by heirs’ property.
—Patrice Gaines, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024
In February 2011, Hitchcock sent a text message that suggested the company was in dire straits.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Icelandic volcano erupts for second time in under a month
The Icelandic town of Grindavík is in dire straits after a nearby volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month on Sunday.
—Justin Klawans, The Week Us, theweek, 15 Jan. 2024
In March of last year the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning specifically about how AI scams were tricking grandparents into thinking their grandchild was in dire straits by cloning their voice.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in dire straits.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 26 Apr. 2024.
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