in the lurch
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
North has since learned she was not the only person Freddie Priestley had left in the lurch at the 11th hour after taking the deposit on a room in his three-bedroom flat.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
There’s a worrying precedent from the financial crisis of a big American company being left in the lurch.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
The decision leaves defense contractors and defense suppliers in the lurch.
From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026
Department of Agriculture have stopped, leaving some would-be home buyers in the lurch.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025
When a parent is absent, you’re left in the lurch of not knowing, and it’s so easy to fill that space with negative thoughts.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
