How to Use distress in a Sentence

distress

1 of 2 noun
  • The patient showed no obvious signs of distress.
  • Citizens voiced their distress over delays in fixing the problem.
  • He suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the accident.
  • Much of this debt appears to be in distress.
    — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
  • Rough seas could have swamped it, but there was no storm, and no distress call.
    — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 13 Mar. 2018
  • Old screams are not so scary — that damsel-in-distress stuff doesn’t play now.
    — Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2020
  • Is rapid weight gain the cause of the patient’s distress?
    — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
  • Our minds jump to the worst-case scenario in times of distress.
    — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2022
  • Anyone who finds a bat in distress is asked to first put on gloves.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Rodent and fawn distress sounds work too.
    — M.d. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Even the thought of four more years brought its own strange layer of distress.
    — Elaina Plott, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2020
  • There were other signs of distress.
    — Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Bob is a dude in distress and your gal pal is in damsel-to-the-rescue mode.
    — Author: Wayne and Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, 15 June 2019
  • He had been called to a restaurant where John was in distress.
    — Doug Smith Senior Writer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2021
  • You are forced to confront the source of your distress every day.
    — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 30 Sep. 2020
  • Ray Miller heard the distress call from his backyard.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
  • This is the first time she's ever faced a customer in distress.
    — Fernando Alfonso Iii, Houston Chronicle, 11 Dec. 2017
  • Dispatch calls from that day seemed to share the same level of distress.
    — Amir Vera and Pierre Meilhan, CNN, 15 June 2020
  • Of course, the oil industry was in deep distress just two years ago.
    — Matt Egan, CNN, 16 Mar. 2022
  • Now, Hernández lives in a state of distress.
    — Nbc News, NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
  • More than four hours had passed since the initial distress signal.
    — Outside Online, 17 Apr. 2018
  • But she’s picked up on their pain and is weighed down by their emotional distress.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 July 2019
  • And then things instantly change to shock and distress.
    — Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
  • For me, this folk knowledge brought both comfort and distress.
    — Jamie Lauren Keiles, Vox, 5 Dec. 2018
  • The film’s heroes may not be so heroic and the damsels may not be in much distress.
    — Mark Olsen, latimes.com, 27 June 2018
  • Her baby began to show signs of distress.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Grocery bills will cause mass distress in checkout lines.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Their boat was in distress about 2 miles offshore of Muskegon.
    — Meredith Terhaar, Detroit Free Press, 4 Nov. 2017
  • Get alerts if the system detects acute distress.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
  • In this cycle, the biggest risk isn’t distress.
    — Lee Kiser, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

distress

2 of 2 verb
  • The stool was bronze, its rungs distressed in patina as if by years of heels.
    — Walker Mimms, The New York Review of Books, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The surfaces of her pieces are cut, sawn, gouged, distressed, smeared.
    — Thomas Hine, Philly.com, 31 May 2018
  • Boyfriend jeans are a huge trend, and these have just the right amount of distressing.
    — Meredith Rollins, Redbook, 30 Apr. 2014
  • The dark wood has been stained and distressed for a rustic finish.
    — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026
  • His back legs kept giving out, too, which appeared to distress him.
    — Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 27 May 2021
  • His heart was racing, his breathing distressed.
    — Paul Sisson, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2025
  • His heart was racing, his breathing distressed.
    — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Constant itching can be distressing for both you and your pet.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 29 July 2023
  • The cause is a mystery — and the symptoms can be distressing.
    — Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 13 July 2023
  • Light distressing adds style to these relaxed but polished jeans.
    — The Seattle Times, 7 Sep. 2017
  • Yes, comforting a child who is hurt or distressed is what parenting is all about.
    — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 24 June 2019
  • Yes, comforting a child who is hurt or distressed is what parenting is all about.
    — Amy Dickinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 June 2019
  • And keepers do not expect the pandas to be distressed during the flight.
    — William Wan, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
  • The woman told police that the frequent visits and gifts distressed her son.
    — Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com, 28 June 2017
  • Boys, avoid all circumstances that will distress the wife who has been obliged to stay home and keep up with the children.
    — Ione Quinby Griggs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2017
  • Kendall said Air Force officials are distressed by the leaks.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023
  • And, of course, hoping for the best with Irap and all horses that are injured or distressed.
    — John Cherwa, latimes.com, 19 Oct. 2017
  • My mother was always distressed by the fact that so many beautiful houses were torn down.
    — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, 18 Apr. 2018
  • But just nine days into the new union, Cher, distressed by Allman's drug use, walked out.
    — Deborah Wilker, Billboard, 27 May 2017
  • Trump's shift to managing his own legal strategy has distressed some of his lawyers.
    — Pamela Brown, CNN, 21 Mar. 2018
  • Both people with autism and those with anorexia tend to be rigid, detail-oriented and distressed by change.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2016
  • Wait at least three days for unsealed paint to dry before distressing, then finish with your preferred sealant.
    — Anna Logan, Country Living, 4 May 2023
  • In the women's singles draw, there were distressing scenes on Court No.
    — CNN, 6 July 2017
  • Some residents of the city were distressed by the president’s visit.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2019
  • In her lawsuit, Valentino describes being distressed by the recent death of her six-year-old son.
    — Vulture, 1 June 2023
  • Greg had a habit, distressing from my perspective, of talking a lot about BMs.
    — John Jeremiah Sullivan, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
  • However, to throw away the sole woman of color on the show—as if her five-season run was all for nothing—was distressing to many.
    — Jill Gutowitz, Glamour, 8 May 2019
  • Hearing noises from the house, and distressed by her trypophobia, Ally runs back to her house and calls the police.
    — Amy MacKelden, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Oct. 2017
  • The final act takes things into the realm of purer fantasy, a twist that may distress some viewers but that has been seeded in the movie from minute one.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
  • What should distress you even more is that, before this PR nightmare, the momentum had started to swing your way.
    — Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2012

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'distress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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