dire /daɪə $ daɪr/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: dirus ]
1 . extremely serious or terrible:
warnings of dire consequences that often don’t come true
The country is in dire need of food aid.
The situation looked dire.
2 . be in dire straits to be in an extremely difficult or serious situation:
Everyone agrees the sport is in dire straits.
3 . dire warning/prediction/forecast a warning about something terrible that will happen in the future:
Last night there were dire warnings of civil war.