- a feeling of great worry or unhappiness; great mental pain
- The newspaper article caused the actor considerable distress.
- She sensed his deep emotional distress.
- in distress She was obviously in distress after the attack.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- acute
- considerable
- deep
- …
- cause (somebody)
- experience
- feel
- …
- call
- signal
- in distress
- to somebody’s distress
- distress at
- …
- a damsel in distress
- a source of distress
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- severe problems caused by not having enough money, food, etc. synonym hardship
- economic/financial distress
- The charity aims to relieve poverty and distress caused by natural disasters.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- acute
- considerable
- deep
- …
- cause (somebody)
- experience
- feel
- …
- call
- signal
- in distress
- to somebody’s distress
- distress at
- …
- a damsel in distress
- a source of distress
- a situation in which a ship, plane, etc. is in danger or difficulty and needs help
- a distress signal (= a message asking for help)
- in distress It is a rule of the sea to help another boat in distress.
- (medical) a state of physical pain and effort, especially difficulty in breathing
- The patient was suffering serious respiratory distress.
- in distress The baby was clearly in distress.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French destresce (noun), destrecier (verb), based on Latin distringere ‘stretch apart’.
Idioms
See distress in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee distress in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englisha damsel in distress
- (humorous, sometimes offensive) a young woman who needs help
Check pronunciation:
distress