distress signal
a signal used, or designed to be used, by persons in peril, for the purpose of summoning aid, indicating their position, etc., as a radio code sign, aerial flare, flag hoist, or the like.: Compare distress call (def. 1).
an indication, especially a nonverbal one, that assistance, cooperation, or the like, is needed: He correctly interpreted the host's upturned eyes as a distress signal and hastily changed the subject.
Origin of distress signal
1Words Nearby distress signal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use distress signal in a sentence
When delivered along with drugs that activate the immune system’s T cells, these injured cancer cells appear to act as a distress signal that spurs the T cells into action against the tumors.
If you’re into treacherous mountain climbing, it would be wise to buy one with a distress signal.
She’s trying to escapeAlthough Britney said on Instagram that candles were the cause of the fire, some fans speculated, with no evidence, that she had purposefully set fire to the gym as a distress signal.
What to Know About Britney Spears, Her Conservatorship and the #FreeBritney Movement | Megan McCluskey | January 8, 2021 | TimeOne of the captains was able to send out a distress signal, which elicited a response from Thai water police.
How China Used Drones to Capture a Notorious Burmese Drug Lord | Brendon Hong | April 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA nearby fishing boat sent a distress signal to the Italian coast guard, but not before the boat caught fire from the lighters.
Italy’s Shipwrecked Syrians Fare Better Than Most Migrants | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
To explain to our readers why the three shots are known as a distress signal is simple.
The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers | Claude A. LabelleMatt and Dick put on their clothes and set about the work of putting up their distress signal.
Motor Matt's Peril, or, Cast Away in the Bahamas | Stanley R. MatthewsTom Plate was coming aft with none of the hesitancy of the blind, and squinting aloft at the damaged distress-signal.
"Where Angels Fear to Tread" and Other Stories of the Sea | Morgan RobertsonNobody had yet figured out what good a distress signal would do, between Earth and moon, but the idea was soothing.
Operation: Outer Space | William Fitzgerald JenkinsBracing himself against a thwart amidships Jimmie waved the improvised distress signal.
Boy Scouts in the North Sea | G. Harvey Ralphson
British Dictionary definitions for distress signal
a signal by radio, Very light, etc from a ship or other vessel in need of immediate assistance
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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