in distress
idiom
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
The news comes after a Holland America Line ship rescued two people from a sailing vessel in distress in August during a cruise from Boston to Quebec City, Canada.
—
Nathan Diller, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Among those items were requests to restore $500,000 in funding for the city’s Support Team Assisted Response, or STAR program, which deploys behavioral health clinicians to people in distress.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
Deputies used an anchor line to pull the two people in distress and their rescuers to the south shore, which was captured in the video.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Therapists have warned that chatbots sometimes break their own safety rules and give dangerous advice to teens in distress.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in distress
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.
Nathan Diller, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Among those items were requests to restore $500,000 in funding for the city’s Support Team Assisted Response, or STAR program, which deploys behavioral health clinicians to people in distress.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
Deputies used an anchor line to pull the two people in distress and their rescuers to the south shore, which was captured in the video.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Therapists have warned that chatbots sometimes break their own safety rules and give dangerous advice to teens in distress.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in distress
Cite this Entry
“In distress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20distress. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share