distress
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a feeling of great worry, sadness, or physical pain.
n.acute physical or mental suffering; a state of extreme sorrow or pain.
Simple“The news of the accident caused great distress to the family.”
In context“The patient showed signs of respiratory distress, requiring immediate intervention from the medical team on duty.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a situation where a ship, aircraft, or person is in serious danger and needs help.
n.a state of extreme necessity or misfortune; a condition of being in danger and in need of urgent assistance.
Simple“The ship sent out a distress signal after the engine failed in the storm.”
In context“The coastguard received a distress call from a small fishing vessel that had lost power ten miles offshore.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to make someone feel very worried or upset.
v.to cause someone to experience severe anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
Simple“It distressed her to see the animals living in such poor conditions.”
In context“The graphic images in the documentary may distress some viewers, so a warning was issued before the broadcast.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to treat a new object, like furniture or clothes, so that it looks old or used.
v.to intentionally age or weather an object to give it a vintage or antique appearance.
Simple“She used sandpaper to distress the edges of the new wooden picture frame.”
In context“The costume designer had to distress the new leather jackets to make the gang members look like they had lived on the streets for years.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
n.the legal act of taking someone's property because they owe money.
n.the seizure of a person's property without legal process to compel the payment of a debt.
Simple“The landlord threatened a distress for rent if the tenant did not pay immediately.”
In context“The historical right of distress allowed creditors to seize chattels as security until the outstanding arrears were satisfied.”
Synonymsseizuredistraint
Usage emotional distress
“A study , external of 956 sailors released in January 2025 found that troops aboard US Navy ships suffer the highest rates of "serious psychological distress" compared to other branches of the US military.”
“It is a form of mental distress recognised by professional bodies and the NHS, with young people and women among the groups most at risk, according to a 2025 study , external .”
The verb is from Middle English distressen, from Old French destrecier (“to restrain, constrain, put in straits, afflict, distress”); compare French détresse. Ultimately from Medieval Latin as if *districtiō, an assumed frequentative form of Latin distringō (“to pull asunder, stretch out”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringō (“to draw tight, strain”). The noun is from Middle English distresse, from Old French destrece, ultimately also from Latin distringō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.