Synonyms

dire straits

American

[dahyuhr streyts] / ˈdaɪər ˈstreɪts /

plural noun

very difficult circumstances.

With inflation so high, I've been talking to many more people lately who are in dire straits.
Once facing dire straits, the theater has bounced back since producing this hit show.

Etymology

Origin of dire straits

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Though not in dire straits, it isn’t exactly healthy, either.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Industrial giant Thyssenkrupp's steel-making business, already in dire straits due to fierce Asian competition, said in a statement to AFP that a "permanently higher gas price would have an impact on production costs".

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Aston Martin are in such dire straits that there is a significant question mark about which of the two will be slowest in Melbourne.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Some people are in more dire straits financially than others, of course, but everyone needs support from time to time.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

All the sunshine meant there were vegetables earlier than there should have been, and given the dire straits we were supposedly in, there seemed to be lots of food.

From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023