distress

American  

[dih-stres] / dɪˈstrɛs /

noun

1. great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.

   distress over his mother's illness.

   Synonyms:

   tribulation, adversity, anguish, agony

   Antonyms:

   comfort

2. a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.

   After the stock market crash, he found himself in great financial distress.

   Synonyms:

   destitution, need

3. the state of a ship or airplane requiring immediate assistance, as when on fire in transit.

4. that which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger, etc..

   His willful disobedience was a distress to his parents.

5. liability or exposure to pain, suffering, trouble, etc.; danger.

   a damsel in distress.

6. Law.

   1. the legal seizure and detention of the goods of another as security or satisfaction for debt, etc.; the act of distraining.

   2. the thing seized in distraining.

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adjective

1. afflicted with or suffering distress.

   distress livestock; distress wheat.

2. caused by or indicative of distress or hardship.

   distress prices; distress borrowing.

verb (used with object)

distresses, present (3rd person singular) distressed, past participle, past distressing present participle

1. to afflict with great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; trouble; worry; bother.

   It distresses Grandpa when you bring up the war.

2. to subject to pressure, stress, or strain; embarrass or exhaust by strain.

   to be distressed by excessive work.

3. to compel by pain or force of circumstances.

   Her faithlessness distressed him into ending their marriage.

4. to dent, scratch, or stain (furniture, lumber, or the like) so as to give an appearance of age.

   She used an old bicycle chain to distress the surface of the table before applying a deep stain.

distress British  

/ dɪˈstrɛs /

verb

1. to cause mental pain to; upset badly

2. (usually passive) to subject to financial or other trouble

3. to damage (esp furniture), as by scratching or denting it, in order to make it appear older than it is

4. law a less common word for distrain

5. archaic to compel

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noun

1. mental pain; anguish

2. the act of distressing or the state of being distressed

3. physical or financial trouble

4. (of a ship, aircraft, etc) in dire need of help

5. law

   1. the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of or in satisfaction of a debt, claim, etc; distraint

   2. the property thus seized

   3. ( as modifier )

      distress merchandise

Synonym Usage

See sorrow.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• distressfulness
  noun
• predistress
  noun
• distressful
  adjective
• distressing
  adjective
• distressfully
  adverb
• distressingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• distressing
  present
• distressed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• distress
  simple
• distresses
  simple
• have distressed
  perfect
• has distressed
  perfect
• am distressing
  progressive
• are distressing
  progressive
• is distressing
  progressive
• have been distressing
  perfect progressive
• has been distressing
  perfect progressive

Past

• distressed
  simple
• had distressed
  perfect
• was distressing
  progressive
• were distressing
  progressive
• had been distressing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will distress
  simple
• will have distressed
  perfect
• will be distressing
  progressive
• will have been distressing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of distress

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun destresse, distresse, from Anglo-French distresse, destresse, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin districtia, equivalent to Latin district(us) “exercise of justice” + noun suffix -ia; the verb developed from the noun; see origin at district, -ia

Explanation

If you are in distress, you are in trouble. You're hurting — either physically or mentally. See the word stress hanging out at the end of distress? There's a good reason for that. The noun distress refers to a state of severe anxiety or strain, often brought about by failing to study for an exam, harassing grizzly bears, or borrowing your sister's clothes without asking. When used as a verb, to distress means to cause all that pain, suffering and anxiety — in other words, to stress somebody out.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

distress distresses distressed distressing

Here’s what we know—plus some tips for enjoying a weekend free of gastrointestinal distress.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

Weir and a small crew are sent on a recovery mission after the lost spaceship, the Event Horizon, suddenly reappears in orbit around Neptune, issuing a distress signal.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

Multiple 911 calls came in for a vessel in distress, prompting a massive rescue operation involving the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Insufficient liquidity to meet obligations triggers financial distress.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

When we get home, pushing open the enormous wooden door with its looping ironwork, someone is shouting upstairs, as though in distress.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

“It distresses us to return work which is not perfect,” the note read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2024

The backbencher's bill will introduce harsher sentences for someone who deliberately harasses, alarms, or distresses someone in a public place, and increasing the maximum sentences from six months to two years.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2022

"This includes lists of probable cause of pavement distresses, and some are related to climate," an ACI spokesperson said.

From Reuters ● Jul. 22, 2022

The turn against immigration distresses some Texas business owners.

From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2022

The sun distresses you like a crowd, a noisy, invasive crowd that makes you cup your ears, that makes you close your eyes, that makes you want to hide.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Suffering from asthma and a chronic lung condition, 55-year-old Andrew is distressed, overheating and struggling to breathe or talk.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

However, Southeast Asia’s private credit growth appears more limited, with a focus largely on middle-market or distressed companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Makhijani told an associate he took extra precautions because wanted to insulate himself from litigation and that “they were sharks in the distressed world who took advantage of people,” the affidavit stated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

In a 2024 exposé on Bowlero’s rise, Amos Barshad introduced a now-familiar category of villain — the private-equity vulture — as more than the average mercenary buying up distressed properties and selling off their parts.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

She isn’t amused by my comment, and her face is still frustrated, distressed.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

It’s distressing for Ghazalian to relay that the West Hollywood restaurant is closed indefinitely, but the support, he said, has been overwhelming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the news of the murder inquiry was "really shocking" and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the circumstances "extremely distressing".

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

Oringel, who is 85 and lives in town, finds the long vacancy distressing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

"We're also speaking to those who called emergency services and who witnessed what will have been a distressing incident," Cronin added.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

“The e-mail anxiety, and the failure talk...These are subjects you’ve brought up before. They’re very distressing to you.”

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini