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
President-elect Trump repeatedly blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for water unavailability, after efforts to fill massive storage tanks left fire hydrants high and dry.
—
Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025
And while the company has sports rights, its hoards them for CBS and Paramount+, leaving the cable channels high and dry.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
The only instance in his coaching career was in 2018 when LeBron James left the Cavaliers high and dry with a rotation that nobody could win with.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
A lot of members of boy bands — and there are a lot of them — had managers who left them high and dry.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025
And while the company has sports rights, its hoards them for CBS and Paramount+, leaving the cable channels high and dry.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
The only instance in his coaching career was in 2018 when LeBron James left the Cavaliers high and dry with a rotation that nobody could win with.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
A lot of members of boy bands — and there are a lot of them — had managers who left them high and dry.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
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In Texarkana, the year before, men and boys amused themselves by cutting off strips of flesh and thrusting knives into their helpless victim.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
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Amick stars alongside James Spader as a beguiling beauty whom Spader is helpless before.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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He was hospitalized after getting a 5-centimeter chicken bone stuck in his throat, which according to court records left him with a partially paralyzed diaphragm along with lung and heart damage.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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In mid-August 2024, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported the first case of polio in 25 years in a 10-month-old child who had not been vaccinated and became paralyzed, according to the WHO.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Salesforce shares fell in extended trading Wednesday on mixed quarterly results and weak guidance.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
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There aren’t enough affordable ones and the charging infrastructure is weak.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans stand in solidarity, voting for incompetent Cabinet picks, while Democrats are barred from entering the U.S. Agency for International Development building, which Musk shut down.—
Christine Ledbetter,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2025
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The difference in expertise is often shocking, which is one reason so many appeals cite incompetent representation.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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