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
All these groups and more will be left high and dry, rolling the dice with every major decision.
—
Kristin Reilly, Baltimore Sun, 17 June 2025
Amid these challenges, many Gen Z members feel like they’ve been left high and dry when getting financial help.
—Jb Orecchia, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
The first thing Beame did was to cut construction projects (Battery Park City, the 2nd Ave. subway line), leaving construction workers high and dry.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
How much longer will the Navy be left high and dry?
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Kristin Reilly, Baltimore Sun, 17 June 2025
Amid these challenges, many Gen Z members feel like they’ve been left high and dry when getting financial help.
—Jb Orecchia, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
The first thing Beame did was to cut construction projects (Battery Park City, the 2nd Ave. subway line), leaving construction workers high and dry.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
How much longer will the Navy be left high and dry?
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
-
Not long after, Brady looked helpless on his final snap as a Patriot, standing at the 1-yard line with nine seconds left because of that maneuver, which Stretch stole from Brady’s head coach and turned against them both.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
7 Aug. 2025
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As for the Aces, Vegas has lost two in a row and looked helpless last time out, losing 109-78 to the Minnesota Lynx.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 July 2025
Adjective
-
Others have options but feel paralyzed by the idea of entrusting their child to someone else.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
16 Aug. 2025
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Fowler, then a 24-year-old college student, was left paralyzed after a bus ran a stop sign in the West End and hit his car.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
The Enquirer,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And if tariffs only cause a one-time jump in prices, weaker purchasing power could slow the economy.—
Raul Elizalde,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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The airline cited weak travel demand and financial challenges.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This kind of data delusion and fact fiction is, on the one hand, very sad, the mark of a man too fragile, impotent and incompetent to accept reality or withstand criticism.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
7 Aug. 2025
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With the incompetent and corrupt federal administration no longer involved, private investors might be willing to jump in.—
Joe Mathews,
Mercury News,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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