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

In the wake of the company’s closure, Nikola truck owners have been left in a bind.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

The combination of high home prices and elevated interest rates has put would-be home buyers in a bind.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

But the digital currency’s monthslong slump has put Strategy and other crypto-treasury companies in a bind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

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

From BBC ● May 28, 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

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Related Words

• belated
• delayed
• delinquent
• overdue
• sluggish

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