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.
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Recent Examples of down-and-out
Louis Staples,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Based on William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Fallen Angel and the sequel Angel’s Inferno, the series will follow a down-and-out NYC paparazzi, who makes his living finding and photographing people who don’t want to be found, who is hired by a mysterious man to find a missing woman.
—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
The once down-and-out chipmaker continues to fire on all cylinders under Lip Bu Tan, who has only been CEO for 13 months.
—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
24 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
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
Adjective
Not so long ago, Pratt seemed down-and-out and was selling crystals to make a living.
—
Louis Staples,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Based on William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Fallen Angel and the sequel Angel’s Inferno, the series will follow a down-and-out NYC paparazzi, who makes his living finding and photographing people who don’t want to be found, who is hired by a mysterious man to find a missing woman.
—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
The once down-and-out chipmaker continues to fire on all cylinders under Lip Bu Tan, who has only been CEO for 13 months.
—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
24 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-and-out
Adjective
-
Depressed wages, a weak currency and hyperinflation have continued to make life difficult for ordinary Venezuelans, many of whom struggle to afford basic goods.
-
There, the Sox scored on a weak, off-line throw from shallow left fielder José Caballero.
Adjective
-
South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence as migrants from poor nations like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi generally end up settling in impoverished communities in South Africa where unemployment and frustrations are high.
-
Dreesen moved to Los Angeles, living on $1 a day and hitchhiking to The Comedy Store, begging for a set and bonding with other impoverished comedians.
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.
-
Because once a workforce splits into AI haves and have-nots, rebuilding organizational trust becomes far harder than deploying technology in the first place.
Adjective
-
Listeria is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, or others with weakened immune systems.
-
Though minor gastrointestinal discomfort is the most common symptom of exposure, pathogens that may cause only minor sickness in some people may cause serious conditions or death in the very young, old, or those with weakened immune systems.
Adjective
-
Rebecca Lowe joins Dan Patrick to discuss some of the top storylines around the World Cup, including Cristiano Ronaldo's poor play to start, the United States' potential and more.
-
Will the gap between rural and urban America – and the gap between rich and poor America – decline or grow?
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.
Adjective
-
Jolted by a feeble office market, a growing number of developers are considering ways to convert their office properties to other uses, such as housing projects.
-
Enervated cuteness and tryhard sincerity define a whole new wave of musicians, from Pittsburgh rockers feeble little horse to cringe-pop upcycler Worldpeace DMT to SoundCloud producer MASSI, whose songs spill with the tiny adorable detail of a toy train set.
Noun
-
Bournemouth are not a pauper club any more, but the performance this season has still be remarkable.
-
The Titanic is still a subject of worldwide fascination, in part because of the range of passengers aboard the ship, from paupers to plutocrats.
Cite this Entry
“Down-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-and-out. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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