in a bind

Idioms  

1. Also,. In a difficult, threatening, or embarrassing position; also, unable to solve a dilemma. For example, He's put us in a bind: we can't refuse, but at the same time we can't fill the order, or Jim's in a box; he can't afford to pay what he owes us, or He quit without giving notice and now we're really in a hole, or We always end up in a jam during the holiday season, or He's in a tight corner with those new customers, or We'll be in a tight spot unless we can find another thousand dollars. All these colloquial terms allude to places from which one can't easily extricate oneself. The phrase using bind was first recorded in 1851; box, 1865; jam, 1914; tight spot, 1852. Also see in a fix.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in a bind

But policymakers are also in a bind as unemployment remains elevated while higher interest rates risk snuffing out tentative signs of economic recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

But there is no denying that he is in a bind.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

That puts the rest of the oil-producing countries that abut the Persian Gulf in a bind.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

More rarely, I’ll buy books new, though usually only if I’m in a bind and need something to read for a trip.

From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2026

Howard’s insistence that his horse would not run under more than 130 pounds had put track handicappers in a bind.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• belated
• delayed
• delinquent
• overdue
• sluggish