as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
the inadequate supplies of vaccine left many people high and dry when the flu season arrived
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Recent Examples of high and dry
Kiffin instantly became the most hated man in Oxford after leaving the Rebels high and dry just as the College Football Playoff was set to begin, accepting a contract reportedly worth nearly $100 million.
—
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
New Year's bowl game upsets left several College Football Playoff favorites high and dry, and now, the semifinal opponents are set.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
But now, thanks in part to Howard, some seem convinced the Nick Saban disciple could be enticed to take another offer and leave Texas high and dry.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
That leaves her high and dry, at the mercy of MI5 and the Dogs, but gives Farouk and his cohort Kamal a chance to position themselves at a church for maximum impact.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
New Year's bowl game upsets left several College Football Playoff favorites high and dry, and now, the semifinal opponents are set.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
But now, thanks in part to Howard, some seem convinced the Nick Saban disciple could be enticed to take another offer and leave Texas high and dry.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
That leaves her high and dry, at the mercy of MI5 and the Dogs, but gives Farouk and his cohort Kamal a chance to position themselves at a church for maximum impact.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
-
Over the course of a 60-yard run, Maradona danced past opponents, escaped challenges and left English defenders helpless before beating the goalkeeper with a clinical finish.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
-
Arturo has grown used to driving by traffic stops, then circling back to move his friends’ and neighbors’ abandoned cars to their helpless families left behind.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier this year, Neuralink—the world’s most high-profile and well-funded BCI startup—launched a clinical trial to enable paralyzed patients to output verbal thoughts directly as text or speech.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
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McConnell has always appeared to have a somewhat unsteady gate — a childhood bout of polio left him with a partially paralyzed leg.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
But lingering high ticket prices combined with weaker teams might mean sparse attendance.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
-
Tokyo wants to appear to be fighting a weak yen, while welcoming it in private.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Clinical psychologists concluded after exams in the six years since his arrest that McGuire was incompetent to stand trial.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
-
She was found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to the Missouri Department of Mental Health, according to a statement provided by Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Jazzlyn Johnson.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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