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
And with the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers up next, even minus star running back Christian McCaffrey, L.A. is in dire straits.
—
Jay Paris, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
Banks that issued mortgages on homes would be in dire straits as owners default on their loans.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2024
Read: Boeing was this close to launching astronauts None of this, officials have said, means the astronauts are in dire straits.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 24 July 2024
Even without Musk, San Francisco’s business district is in dire straits.
—Byjane Thier, Fortune, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for in dire straits 
Jay Paris, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
Banks that issued mortgages on homes would be in dire straits as owners default on their loans.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2024
Read: Boeing was this close to launching astronauts None of this, officials have said, means the astronauts are in dire straits.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 24 July 2024
Even without Musk, San Francisco’s business district is in dire straits.
—Byjane Thier, Fortune, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for in dire straits
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in dire straits.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near 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 29 Sep. 2024.
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