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

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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

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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

A possible fourth person in distress was confirmed safe after a brief search, fire crews said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office received a distress call around 10:20 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Despite the difficulty of wearing extensive prosthetics during filming, Rhys Harries said it helped him portray the distress of his character in a film that has been described as a body horror psychological thriller.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

But, to the distress of his advisers, he is the most reluctant of monarchs, unwilling to wage war, issue decrees or even, many days, get out of bed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Her family’s distress increased in the late 1890s as the U.S. government intensified its push for the culmination of its assimilation campaign: allotment.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Sleeping out in the stifling summer heat leaves her exhausted, but what distresses her more is not knowing when or how this situation will end.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

This is said to produce a form of underwater noise pollution which distresses the animals.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025

But what distresses him most is not the financial pain big farmers will experience but the hardship that will be visited upon workers and their families who are dependent upon agriculture for their livelihoods.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2023

“As they help lead us out of our long bout with the pandemic they will provide balm for our distresses and delight for our hearts.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2022

The moon distresses you by silently reminding you of your solitude; you open your eyes wide to escape your loneliness.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

The duchess said: "I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed."

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

"We should do what I imagine Helen would be doing if she was not the victim of this terrible attack - reaching out to those who are terribly distressed by what has happened," she says.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

“It’s the biggest dichotomy we’ve seen between these lower-quality companies getting to distressed levels in credit, and the broader ‘risk markets’ priced nearly to perfection,” said Miskin.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

George, a 37-year-old French entrepreneur, started out investing in distressed real-estate properties before pivoting to data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

At first he was pleased by what he saw: The Washingtons, extremely distressed, had raised an outcry about their lost son, seeking help from all quarters.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Ch Supt Jason Rees said this was a "deeply distressing incident" and thanked the local community for its support which resulted in an arrest and no further injuries sustained.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Rumination refers to repeatedly dwelling on distressing thoughts, worries, or negative experiences.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said it was a "distressing case" and they had implemented changes as a result.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Clancy's trial, which featured more than 80 witnesses and days of distressing testimony, sparked debate in the United States over maternal mental health.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

“Miss Worthen. I’ve had a distressing interview with your overseer this morning.”

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

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