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
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
The only instance in his coaching career was in 2018 when LeBron James left the Cavaliers high and dry with a rotation that nobody could win with.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
A lot of members of boy bands — and there are a lot of them — had managers who left them high and dry.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for 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
The only instance in his coaching career was in 2018 when LeBron James left the Cavaliers high and dry with a rotation that nobody could win with.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
A lot of members of boy bands — and there are a lot of them — had managers who left them high and dry.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
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Gustavsson was equally helpless against Brad Marchand later in the first.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
The Athletic,
13 Feb. 2025
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Most Popular Most Popular As Liam McNeeley carries UConn men, Dan Hurley calls for ‘reinvention’ as rest of his team struggles A CT woman felt helpless as her dad screamed in pain.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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He was hospitalized after getting a 5-centimeter chicken bone stuck in his throat, which according to court records left him with a partially paralyzed diaphragm along with lung and heart damage.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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In mid-August 2024, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported the first case of polio in 25 years in a 10-month-old child who had not been vaccinated and became paralyzed, according to the WHO.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The Trade Desk missed fourth-quarter revenue estimates and issued weak guidance.—
Medora Lee,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
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Twilio — Shares of the cloud communications company plunged 15% on the heels of its weak earnings guidance.—
Hakyung Kim,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans stand in solidarity, voting for incompetent Cabinet picks, while Democrats are barred from entering the U.S. Agency for International Development building, which Musk shut down.—
Christine Ledbetter,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2025
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The difference in expertise is often shocking, which is one reason so many appeals cite incompetent representation.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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