dire
causing or involving great fear or suffering; dreadful; terrible: a dire calamity.
indicating trouble, disaster, misfortune, or the like: dire predictions about the stock market.
urgent; desperate: in dire need of food.
Origin of dire
1Other words from dire
- direly, adverb
- direness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use dire in a sentence
Other regions have so far done a better job containing the spread, including Africa, despite dire predictions early on about potential spread on the continent.
50 million world Covid-19 cases: The biggest outbreaks, explained | Christina Animashaun | November 9, 2020 | VoxThe situation was dire enough for the state to contact Cyber Command using the newly instituted Cyber 9-Line, an emergency, data-sharing channel.
U.S. says it’s prepared for cyber election threats. But weaknesses remain | Verne Kopytoff | November 2, 2020 | FortuneYou can track cases by state here, with the Dakotas and Montana in the most dire shape.
Somewhat surprisingly, what the three-person team found wasn’t that dire.
A stranded oil tanker at risk of spilling in the Caribbean looks to be safe — for now | Jariel Arvin | October 22, 2020 | VoxHer potential confirmation will have dire, dire consequences for the Senate, for the Supreme Court and our entire country for generations to come.
Barrett moves one step closer to a seat on the Supreme Court as Republicans on Senate panel advance her nomination | Seung Min Kim, Paulina Firozi | October 22, 2020 | Washington Post
Should John Kerry, given his commitment and the direness of the situation, pack his bags?
Everyone Says John Kerry Should Stay Out of the Middle East | Josh Rogin | July 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for dire
/ (daɪə) /
Also: direful disastrous; fearful
desperate; urgent: a dire need
foreboding disaster; ominous: a dire warning
Origin of dire
1Derived forms of dire
- direly, adverb
- direness, noun
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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