as in helpless
unable to act or achieve one's purpose
the inadequate supplies of vaccine left many people high and dry when the flu season arrived
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Recent Examples of high and dry
But now, thanks in part to Howard, some seem convinced the Nick Saban disciple could be enticed to take another offer and leave Texas high and dry.
—
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
That leaves her high and dry, at the mercy of MI5 and the Dogs, but gives Farouk and his cohort Kamal a chance to position themselves at a church for maximum impact.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Under those sturdy leather exteriors, a Gore-tex liner keeps you high and dry, preventing water from entering while shedding unwanted moisture.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
But as the river changes course the town could soon be left high and dry and that's fueling a border dispute with neighboring Peru.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
That leaves her high and dry, at the mercy of MI5 and the Dogs, but gives Farouk and his cohort Kamal a chance to position themselves at a church for maximum impact.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Under those sturdy leather exteriors, a Gore-tex liner keeps you high and dry, preventing water from entering while shedding unwanted moisture.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
But as the river changes course the town could soon be left high and dry and that's fueling a border dispute with neighboring Peru.
—John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for high and dry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high and dry
Adjective
-
Weaponized incompetence, or the practice of being so helpless that the labor simply falls on someone else, has long been a feature of domestic life.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
-
But Lumet and screenwriter Frank Pierson ease up on the laughs as Sonny’s predicament grows more helpless, allowing the audience to feel his desperation as the drama barrels toward a tragic finale.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Carey died while trying to rescue a paralyzed elderly man from a house fire.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
China’s leadership has appeared even more paralyzed over the country’s mounting economic woes.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The slide appears to have involved a thick slab of soft snow breaking loose at a weak layer in the snowpack, the report said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Endowed not only with a privileged birthright but—unlike the actual princes over in England, who had weak chins and went bald young—the physical stature to match?—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Across the state in 2025, only five people faced Class 1 or Class 2 felonies, were found permanently incompetent to proceed, and saw their cases dismissed, Turner said.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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If the case takes the course prescribed under the Texas criminal procedure code and if a magistrate or a state district judge finds that Rodriguez-Singh is incompetent, she will likely be ordered admitted to a maximum-security unit at a state hospital for an attempt at competency restoration.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“High and dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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