I. dis ‧ tress 1 /dɪˈstres/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: destresse , from Latin districtus , past participle of distringere 'to pull apart, prevent from acting or leaving' ]
1 . a feeling of extreme unhappiness:
Luke’s behaviour caused his parents great distress.
in distress
The girl was crying and clearly in distress.
2 . suffering and problems caused by a lack of money, food etc:
acute financial distress
in distress
charities that aid families in distress
3 . formal great physical pain
4 . a situation when a ship, aircraft etc is in danger and needs help:
We picked up a distress signal 6 km away.
in distress
The ship is in distress.
II. distress 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to make someone feel very upset:
The dream had distressed her greatly.