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 her wife ended up leaving her and left her high and dry.
—
Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
The Cowboys have been left high and dry after mismanaging their RB room, all while Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb continue to try to make ends meet.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
The Cowboys have been left high and dry after mismanaging their RB room, all while Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb continue to try to make ends meet.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
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Bailey's predicament isn't the first time a dog has found itself in an amusingly helpless situation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
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The Flames’ penalty kill was the NHL’s best in March before Monday (95.5 percent), but the Maple Leafs made the group look helpless with one goal from William Nylander and two by Matthews.—
Nick Ashbourne,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Allen survived but was left permanently paralyzed, according to police.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2025
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According to the release, any savings from ending this type of care will go to supporting paralyzed veterans and amputees.—
Jaden Amos,
Axios,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Murena Pixel Tablet And Third-Party Apps The ecosystem for Android tablets is weaker than that of Android smartphones.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Cleanup crews noted the tree’s root system was very weak.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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On what planet would anyone buy this team and let that incompetent non- entity have any role ?—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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Thank you to El Salvador and, in particular, President Bukele, for your understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States because of incompetent Democrat leadership.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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