in dire straits
idiom
: in a very bad or difficult situation
With its best player out of the game, the team found itself in dire straits.
Examples of in dire straits in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stuart James Danny Butterfield, for Crystal Palace v Wolves, February 2010
Crystal Palace were in dire straits on February 2, 2010.
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The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
But after nearly 20 years in the industry, Lopez’s business is in dire straits, perpetually teetering on the brink of collapse.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
With Simmons, forward Torrey Craig, and center Alex Len now already off the board, the league's buyout market is already in dire straits.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025
Magaro stars as a father in dire straits, who packs up his two kids, including Wright’s Ella, to take them on a road trip to Omaha, Neb. Magaro delivers a devastating performance as a parent striving to do right by his children in an impossible situation.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Feb. 2025
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The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
But after nearly 20 years in the industry, Lopez’s business is in dire straits, perpetually teetering on the brink of collapse.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
With Simmons, forward Torrey Craig, and center Alex Len now already off the board, the league's buyout market is already in dire straits.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025
Magaro stars as a father in dire straits, who packs up his two kids, including Wright’s Ella, to take them on a road trip to Omaha, Neb. Magaro delivers a devastating performance as a parent striving to do right by his children in an impossible situation.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in dire straits
Cite this Entry
“In dire straits.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20dire%20straits. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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