How to Use in distress in a Sentence

in distress

idiom
Definition of in distressnext
  • Surely there must be a lonely bear willing to rescue a 20-something fetishist in distress.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Best of all, there isn’t a damsel in distress in sight.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024
  • But less than a year later, the exchange is the one in distress.
    — WSJ, 26 Sep. 2023
  • Things are looking bleak, and there’s no one around to help this damsel in distress.
    — Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 27 June 2024
  • Gone are the days of damsels in distress waiting for Prince Charming to save them.
    — Todd Plummer, Harper's BAZAAR, 26 May 2023
  • These are no damsels in distress; these are femmes in control.
    — Jake Smith, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Now, few white knights are left to rescue FTX and others in distress.
    — Julia Horowitz, CNN, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Ships in distress had radioed out dits and dahs from the era of the Titanic to the era of Titanic.
    — Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024
  • The only thing in distress here is her couture and a culture that would hold her back.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024
  • Sam had even called his mother and sister in distress about the man, who had threatened to kill him and his dog and to set his tent on fire.
    — Jose A. Del Real, Washington Post, 19 July 2024
  • In Alameda, a firefighters and the Coast Guard responded to a boat in distress of the island’s shore.
    — Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024
  • But then, the next day, a lobsterman, who owned a boat like the one reported to be in distress, called Stillwell.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 15 Apr. 2023
  • After a brief conversation, the group agrees that the dog locked inside is in distress and needs help.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 1 July 2024
  • The oil paint on the cleaning rag began to resemble a woman in distress.
    — Brittanie Shey, Chron, 3 Mar. 2023
  • But the damsel isn’t in distress, the monster isn’t so bad, and some raunchy jokes may go over kids’ heads (but will likely delight parents).
    — Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
  • The Adriana was a chance to showcase the agency’s ability to detect ships in distress and save lives.
    — Karam Shoumali, BostonGlobe.com, 1 July 2023
  • One fan asked for a photo while Roan was having a fight with her girlfriend and was clearly in distress.
    — Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2024
  • McCall emphasized that the person in distress does not have to be the person who calls the Teen Lifeline.
    — Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2023
  • The man who was in distress thanked the officers profusely.
    — Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 17 June 2023
  • Because no young girl or boy grows up pretending to be a damsel in distress or a sidekick.
    — Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 28 Nov. 2022
  • If a vessel was in distress, running aground on a sandy beach was rarely an option, as there were few such beaches to speak of.
    — Longreads, 4 May 2023
  • Anyone who sees a pelican in distress should contact the group for help.
    — Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
  • The drones are tasked with detecting swimmers in distress and can drop a flotation device the swimmer can grab on to.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 27 July 2024
  • Princess Peach, far from being a damsel in distress, is a genuine leader of the Mushroom Kingdom.
    — WIRED, 9 Nov. 2023
  • According to accounts, Neely was yelling and in distress.
    — Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 26 May 2023
  • The video shows Bernard appear to be in distress and speaking with an officer while pacing.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2023
  • Deputies were dispatched to Mountain View Point on a report of a swimmer in distress around 1:51 p.m. local time.
    — Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
  • In the past, all have provided at least temporary shelter to refugees in distress.
    — Edna Tarigan and Reza Saifullah, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023
  • How common are hoaxes pretending to be a loved one in distress?
    — Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023
  • Wildlife officials have also said the attacks were likely a sign P-22 was in distress.
    — Christine Fernando, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in distress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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