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, 31 Oct. 2024
So instead of having the option for buying a PS5 Pro with or without a disc drive (the practice Sony started with the very first PS5 at launch), you’re only left high and dry to get your own.
—Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 11 Sep. 2024
Although today’s furry house rulers can enjoy fishy feasts while staying high and dry, since time immemorial, wild cats have apparently been willing to get their paws wet to snag some tasty treats.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2024
Sheryl Crow didn't mean to leave her fans high and dry in Atlanta.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 13 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for high and dry 
Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
So instead of having the option for buying a PS5 Pro with or without a disc drive (the practice Sony started with the very first PS5 at launch), you’re only left high and dry to get your own.
—Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 11 Sep. 2024
Although today’s furry house rulers can enjoy fishy feasts while staying high and dry, since time immemorial, wild cats have apparently been willing to get their paws wet to snag some tasty treats.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2024
Sheryl Crow didn't mean to leave her fans high and dry in Atlanta.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 13 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
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The wind is bending thick swirls of flame over Sunset Boulevard and the firefighters are helpless to stop it.Matt Gutman, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2025
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Buster the yellow Lab is a thicc fella who can stop, but will not stop, gleefully belly flopping into his swimming pool despite the increasingly helpless and desperately profane protestations of his mother.Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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After October 7th, people were shocked and stunned and paralyzed and afraid of rockets and trying to figure out where their dead bodies were and whether their kids were dead or captive.Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
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The inspirational documentary chronicles the actor's storied rise but mainly focuses on his later life and work championing people with disabilities and spinal-cord injuries after a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Of Vegas’ last eight games, six were at home and all eight were against some of the league’s weakest teams.Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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China’s persistently low consumer inflation indicates that China is struggling with weak domestic demand, stoking fears of deflation.Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Geyser was diagnosed the following August with childhood-onset schizophrenia and ruled incompetent to stand trial, a decision that was reversed that December.Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025
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The team looked incompetent, even with an extra week to prepare.Chad Graff, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near high and dry
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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