down-and-out 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdau̇n-ən(d)-ˈau̇t How to pronounce down-and-out (audio)
Definition of down-and-outnext
1
as in weak
lacking bodily strength I'm over the flu, but I still feel down-and-out

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions a soup kitchen where the down-and-out daily line up for a hot meal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

down-and-out

2 of 2

noun

variants or down-and-outer
as in have-not

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of down-and-out
Adjective
Three years later, the two actors reunited for an even messier love story, the down-and-out souls of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026 The rather down-and-out-looking fellow in front of me was buying a handful of lottery tickets. — Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026 The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background. — Andrew Pulver, Air Mail, 31 Jan. 2026 While the aggressively noirish script (by Kubrick and his friend Howard Sackler, who had also written Fear and Desire) about a down-and-out boxer who falls for a gangster’s moll sometimes comes off like a parody, Kubrick is clearly coming into his own here as an artist. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for down-and-out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-and-out
  1. weak
  2. impoverished
  3. have-not
  4. weakened
  5. poor
  6. indigent
  7. feeble
  8. pauper
Adjective
  • Still, the opposite tack—sanctions and isolation—has neither made the Iranian regime weaker nor made its behavior better.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • And it should never be used to paper over weak management, chronic overload, or unresolved conflict.
    — Rick Tollakson, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • This British drama series follows a woman named Emma over the course of more than six decades of her life, from the 1900s through the 1970s, working her way from impoverished maid to the world’s richest woman.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Known as a Neglected Tropical Disease because of the lack of funding to fight it, schistosomiasis is a serious challenge for impoverished communities.
    — William McCarthy, NPR, 4 July 2026
Definition of impoverished
Noun
  • Historically in Chicago, parent fundraising has been a story of have versus have-not schools, a dynamic threatening to drive deeper inequity in a segregated district.
    — Mila Koumpilova, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • Often, football is described as a game of haves and have-nots.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Definition of have-not
Adjective
  • The bacterium can also lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that is more common in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, according to the release.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • While anyone can get sick, young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously ill.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 July 2026
Definition of weakened
Adjective
  • Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of poor
Noun
  • Lower than proletariat workers, the lumpenproletariat includes the indigent and the unemployable, those cast out of the workforce with no recourse, or those who can’t enter it in the first place, such as young workers in times of economic depression.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
Definition of indigent
Adjective
  • Lei's team propose that this glitch either strengthened or reoriented, or both, the magnetic field of the Blue Eye Pulsar sufficiently to trigger radio emissions, or at least make feeble radio waves that were already there detectable.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 6 July 2026
  • Gin up such a feeble procedural explanation for the sudden reversal that the entire sporting globe becomes incensed over the garbage-y scent of an inside job.
    — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
Definition of feeble
Noun
  • Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Gold not glittering As for gold, while the yellow metal has traditionally been sought out by kings and paupers throughout history alike, the anaemic gold price has puzzled experts.
    — Lim Hui Jie,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 July 2026
  • Bournemouth are not a pauper club any more, but the performance this season has still be remarkable.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Definition of pauper

Browse Nearby Words

down and dirty
down-and-out
down-and-outs
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Cite this Entry

“Down-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-and-out. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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