Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

in a fix

Idioms  
  1. Also,. In a difficult or embarrassing situation, in a dilemma. For example, I was really in a fix when I missed the plane, or Lost and out of gas—how did we get in such a pickle? or John had lost all his money in the crap game—now he was in a spot. The first of these colloquial usages dates from the early 1800s; pickle in the sense of a mess or quandary, sometimes put as in a pretty pickle, dates from the 1500s; spot, also put as, dates from the early 1900s. Also see in a bind; in deep, def. 2; in the soup; in trouble; on the spot.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, is certainly in a fix.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2025

Since potato gnocchi typically calls for boiled-then-riced potatoes, flour, and perhaps egg yolks, it makes sense that you could utilize your leftover mash for gnocchi in a fix, right?

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2021

McCormack, a Bromley-based businessman and an increasingly distant and dismal steward of Dulwich Hamlet, was in a fix.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 26, 2018

Those of us who hanker for the return for some part at least of the gentleman are in a fix.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2016

“She liked you. You’re in a fix now.”

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com