dire straits

[dahyuhr streyts]

plural noun

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dire straits¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Put it all together, and the U.S. economy is in dire straits, possibly heading toward a shoal.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After all, her next book is a roman à clef about Gala, and writing about a woman who might be in dire straits would be exploitative.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

By the time President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated in March 1933, the nation was in dire straits.

Read more on Salon

But if you’ve jumped into these tepid waters anytime over the last decade or so, you know that shark horror is in dire straits.

Read more on Salon

Friedman argued the Dodgers’ injury problems this year don’t compare to the dire straits they navigated en route to last year’s World Series title.

Read more on Los Angeles Times