distress
/dɪˈstɹɛs/ verb C2- To cause strain or anxiety to someone.
- To retain someone’s property against the payment of a debt; to distrain.
- To treat a new object to give it an appearance of age. · a pair of distressed jeans· She distressed the new media cabinet so that it fit with the other furniture in the room.
He/she/it distresses · Past distressed · Past participle distressed · -ing form distressing
Verb forms
- Base form
- distress
- He/she/it
- distresses
- Past
- distressed
- Past participle
- distressed
- -ing form
- distressing
From the library
At the same moment a violent crash was heard, and cries of distress.
“Amusing, certainly,” replied the young man, “inasmuch as, instead of shedding tears as at the fictitious tale of woe produced at a theatre, you behold in a law-court a case of real and genuine distress—a drama of life.
Wickham was so perfectly satisfied with this conversation, that he never again distressed himself, or provoked his dear sister Elizabeth, by introducing the subject of it; and she was pleased to find that she had said enough to keep him quiet.
It shows an evil disposition to take advantage of a friend in distress.
Other matches
Learn distress in real texts
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