1
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
I'm over the flu, but I still feel down-and-out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
variants
or down-and-outer
as in have-not
Related Words
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
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
And those Berger hallmarks are certainly on display in the new one, a drama about a dandy named Lord Doyle, a down-and-out con man and gambling addict on the brink of a breakdown in the kitschy gaming hub of Macau.
—Glenn Whipp, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Gabriel pulls a few mystical strings so down-and-out Arj can switch places with Jeff for two weeks: the plan is that Arj will realize money can’t buy happiness and will volunteer to go back to his own life.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Fraser stars as a down-and-out American actor adrift in Tokyo in Rental Family, which was filmed in Japan.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
Gardin showed us a country where the medieval and the modern, the down-and-out and la dolce vita, seemed to coexist.
—Max Norman, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Under the deal, Westbrook has set up projects at the studio, including Sugar Bandits, based on the book Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan that follows a down-and-out Iraqi war veteran who intercepts drug deals for profit.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite promising a welcome throwback to the sort of down-and-out milieu that authors like Graham Greene once put on the map, this Lawrence Osborne adaptation winds up feeling like nothing so much as a quintessential Netflix movie: Easy to watch and impossible to care about.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
Befitting the down-and-out semis, Analog Devices put up good numbers, causing a headlong rush into internet of things (IoT).
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
Shroud killed Robert’s dad and now the down-and-out hero is on the warpath.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
And those Berger hallmarks are certainly on display in the new one, a drama about a dandy named Lord Doyle, a down-and-out con man and gambling addict on the brink of a breakdown in the kitschy gaming hub of Macau.
—Glenn Whipp, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Gabriel pulls a few mystical strings so down-and-out Arj can switch places with Jeff for two weeks: the plan is that Arj will realize money can’t buy happiness and will volunteer to go back to his own life.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Fraser stars as a down-and-out American actor adrift in Tokyo in Rental Family, which was filmed in Japan.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
Gardin showed us a country where the medieval and the modern, the down-and-out and la dolce vita, seemed to coexist.
—Max Norman, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
Under the deal, Westbrook has set up projects at the studio, including Sugar Bandits, based on the book Devils in Exile by Chuck Hogan that follows a down-and-out Iraqi war veteran who intercepts drug deals for profit.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Despite promising a welcome throwback to the sort of down-and-out milieu that authors like Graham Greene once put on the map, this Lawrence Osborne adaptation winds up feeling like nothing so much as a quintessential Netflix movie: Easy to watch and impossible to care about.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
Befitting the down-and-out semis, Analog Devices put up good numbers, causing a headlong rush into internet of things (IoT).
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-and-out
Adjective
-
Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The film, which world premiered in the Berlinale’s Perspectives sidebar, follows an impoverished but determined family put to test when the father, who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is accused of murder.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Sanctions have crippled the government’s primary source of revenue, oil exports, limiting the state’s ability to provide for millions of impoverished Iranians through social safety nets.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
With fewer homes available for median earners, today's housing market is widening the gap between the haves and have-nots, with younger Americans less likely to buy a home, the study says.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Based on the video game from Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While the power opportunities are bright, the current earnings reports are much more dour as the oil sector slogs along with weakened activity.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
However, Bon Jovi found a surgeon who performed a medialization thyroplasty surgery, a cutting-edge procedure in which an implant was placed on the outside of his vocal cord to rebuild the weakened cord.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s another element of the current concern regarding due process that relates to the fate of poor Cinna.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
-
McDaniel’s debut album Lost Ones delves into his own story of growing up in a poor community in Kentucky, and dealing with mental health struggles, both personally and within his family — as well as McDaniel’s story of being saved during a past suicide attempt years ago.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
-
Without getting into spoilers, her one-and-done appearance in Episode 5 presents the perfect opportunity for the more-than-capable Meester to match wits with Bell’s judgmental Joanna, only to strand the actor with boring, obvious jokes and saddle her with a feeble resolution.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The feeble light from the fire wasn’t much help.—
Bill Shaber,
Outdoor Life,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There were also prisoners, paupers and unclaimed bodies who went into mass graves, including remains of 39,307 Catholics at Holy Cross.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Instead, town officials buried him in a pauper’s grave.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Down-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-and-out. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share