1.
Clothes that are in ~ are badly torn in several places, so that pieces can easily come off.
His jersey was left in ~.
N-PLURAL: usu in N
2.
If you say that something such as a plan or a person’s state of mind is in ~, you are emphasizing that it is weak, has suffered a lot of damage, and is likely to fail completely.
The economy is in ~.
N-PLURAL: usu in N emphasis