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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In Texarkana, the year before, men and boys amused themselves by cutting off strips of flesh and thrusting knives into their helpless victim.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Amick stars alongside James Spader as a beguiling beauty whom Spader is helpless before.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
John Lithgow plays an elderly care home tyrant out to drive an arrogant and partially paralyzed judge, played by Geoffrey Rush, insane in the official trailer for The Rule of Jenny Pen, which dropped Monday.—
Etan Vlessing,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Feb. 2025
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The cousin also was hit with gunfire and became paralyzed, prosecutors said.—
Sara Schilling,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Salesforce shares fell in extended trading Wednesday on mixed quarterly results and weak guidance.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
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There aren’t enough affordable ones and the charging infrastructure is weak.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Anyone can file a petition in probate court in Florida seeking to declare an adult incompetent to handle their own affairs, though, typically, such petitions are submitted by family members worried their elderly relatives can no longer care for themselves.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2025
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But Marshall can’t do it alone and teams up with his former high school lab partner Frances Applewhite (voiced by Emily Pendergast), who works for a sinking pharmaceutical company as the assistant to incompetent CEO Rick Kruger (voiced by executive producer Mike Judge).—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
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