TOP

Definition of distress verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

distress

verb
 
/dɪˈstres/
 
/dɪˈstres/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they distress
 
/dɪˈstres/
 
/dɪˈstres/
he / she / it distresses
 
/dɪˈstresɪz/
 
/dɪˈstresɪz/
past simple distressed
 
/dɪˈstrest/
 
/dɪˈstrest/
past participle distressed
 
/dɪˈstrest/
 
/dɪˈstrest/
-ing form distressing
 
/dɪˈstresɪŋ/
 
/dɪˈstresɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. to make somebody feel very worried or unhappy
    • distress somebody It was clear that the letter had deeply distressed her.
    • distress yourself Don't distress yourself (= don't worry).
    Topics Feelingsc1
    Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French destresce (noun), destrecier (verb), based on Latin distringere ‘stretch apart’.
See distress in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Other results

All matches
Idioms
halfway
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
C1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day