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Synonyms

distress signal

American  

noun

  1. a signal used, or designed to be used, by persons in peril, for the purpose of summoning aid, indicating their position, etc., as a radio code sign, aerial flare, flag hoist, or the like.

  2. an indication, especially a nonverbal one, that assistance, cooperation, or the like, is needed.

    He correctly interpreted the host's upturned eyes as a distress signal and hastily changed the subject.
distress signal British  

noun

  1. a signal by radio, Very light, etc from a ship or other vessel in need of immediate assistance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of distress signal

First recorded in 1870–75

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.

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