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
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
Under those sturdy leather exteriors, a Gore-tex liner keeps you high and dry, preventing water from entering while shedding unwanted moisture.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
But as the river changes course the town could soon be left high and dry and that's fueling a border dispute with neighboring Peru.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
Under those sturdy leather exteriors, a Gore-tex liner keeps you high and dry, preventing water from entering while shedding unwanted moisture.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
But as the river changes course the town could soon be left high and dry and that's fueling a border dispute with neighboring Peru.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
-
Operating up top, Hagens fed Gasseau down low on the right side and Gasseau zipped a perfect cross-ice pass to Letourneau, who ripped it past a helpless Muszelik.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
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Still helpless in the face of her new, ultrapublic life, and at a loss for how to re-center herself and her needs and wants within it, Carolyn has been spending most of her time in the loft.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Carrington said Ny'Leek died of cardiac arrest Thursday, a little more than a year after surviving a hit-and-run that left him paralyzed from the neck down.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The conflict has physically split the energy world into two paralyzed halves.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
An atmospheric river should track across California, even into southern California, by Tuesday, March 31, but is currently forecast to remain too weak to cause flooding issues, the WPC said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
-
At the hospital in Dollow, mothers sat shoulder to shoulder on narrow beds holding frail children, some too weak to cry while others let out soft whimpers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
To this day, no court has found Newman is incompetent.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2026
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Court documents show Lloyd has been found incompetent to stand trial multiple times in Hennepin County for charges of stalking.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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