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

Bach-Mortensen says the UK is stuck in a bind where changes are needed but "acting rashly" could mean driving good providers out of the system.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

The crackdown from regulators put Mason in a bind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 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

This puts victimized taxpayers in a bind, Camp told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 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