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

In another video, passengers weep and cry out in distress as the aircraft shakes. — Samy Magdy, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

Some anti-immigration activists have targeted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a 200-year-old volunteer force that rescues people in distress at sea, because it is often called out to meet the migrant boats. — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Saetern walked around the gas station in distress, entered the staff office, exited it and entered it again. — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026

The alarms are designed to alert other firefighters when a member is motionless or in distress. — Cindy Hsu, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for in distress

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