down-and-out 1 of 2

Definition of down-and-outnext
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down-and-out

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noun

variants or down-and-outer

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
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 Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs — Coming off their first loss since September, the Broncos get a down-and-out Chiefs team playing its third-string quarterback. Jim Reineking, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025 The feature is based on the 2018 documentary of the same name that told the story of a down-and-out fighter who becomes involved with one of the country’s top youth boxing programs. Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025 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 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 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
  • Its formula of ceramides, astaxanthin, and arginine strengthen, provide elasticity, and heal weak or broken hair.
    Olivia Dubyak, InStyle, 14 Jan. 2026
  • These winds could occasionally trigger minor (G1-level) geomagnetic storm activity, though displays are expected to be weaker and more sporadic than those seen over the weekend.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Critics call it a venue for the world’s elites to hobnob and do business that sometimes comes at the expense of workers, the impoverished or people on the margins of society.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Almost every child who goes into foster care is impoverished and almost all leave foster care broke.
    Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 12 Jan. 2026
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
  • Most people who get sick recover within a week, but infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
    Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Most healthy people recover without treatment, but severe illness can occur in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
    Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
  • In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2026
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
  • The feeble job market may be keeping wage growth subdued, some economists point out.
    George Avalos, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The reality is that although Venezuela has vast reserves—about 17% of the entire planet’s oil is under Venezuelan soil—its production is feeble.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Tate eventually moved in with her family, who rejected Austen; Austen moved to the Staten Island Farm Colony, a pauper’s hospital.
    Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025
  • When the new sections were added, the old burying ground became a pauper's cemetery for poor White and and Black residents.
    Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 14 Nov. 2025

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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 16 Jan. 2026.

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