distress Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun psychological suffering
    suffering; hurt.
    • the death of his wife caused him great distress
  2. noun a state of adversity (danger or affliction or need)
    • a ship in distress
    • she was the classic maiden in distress
  3. noun extreme physical pain
    • the patient appeared to be in distress
  4. noun the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim
    distraint.
    • Originally distress was a landlord's remedy against a tenant for unpaid rents or property damage but now the landlord is given a landlord's lien
  5. verb bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship
    straiten.
  6. verb cause mental pain to
    • The news of her child's illness distressed the mother

WordNet

Dis*tress" noun
Etymology
OE. destresse, distresse, OF. destresse, destrece, F. détresse, OF. destrecier to distress, (assumed) LL. districtiare, fr. L. districtus, p. p. of distringere. See Distrain, and cf. Stress.
Definitions
  1. Extreme pain or suffering; anguish of body or mind; as, to suffer distress from the gout, or from the loss of friends.
    Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress. Shak.
  2. That which occasions suffering; painful situation; misfortune; affliction; misery.
    Affliction's sons are brothers in distress. Burns.
  3. A state of danger or necessity; as, a ship in distress, from leaking, loss of spars, want of provisions or water, etc.
  4. (Law) (a) The act of distraining; the taking of a personal chattel out of the possession of a wrongdoer, by way of pledge for redress of an injury, or for the performance of a duty, as for nonpayment of rent or taxes, or for injury done by cattle, etc. (b) The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction. Bouvier. Kent. Burrill.
    If he were not paid, he would straight go and take a distress of goods and cattle. Spenser.
    The distress thus taken must be proportioned to the thing distrained for. Blackstone.
    Syn. -- Affliction; suffering; pain; agony; misery; torment; anguish; grief; sorrow; calamity; misfortune; trouble; adversity. See Affliction.
Dis*tress" transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. OF. destrecier. See Distress, n.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Distressed ; present participle & verbal noun Distressing
Definitions
  1. To cause pain or anguish to; to pain; to oppress with calamity; to afflict; to harass; to make miserable.
    We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. 2 Cor. iv. 8.
  2. To compel by pain or suffering.
    Men who can neither be distressed nor won into a sacrifice of duty. A. Hamilton.
  3. (Law) To seize for debt; to distrain. Syn. -- To pain; grieve; harass; trouble; perplex; afflict; worry; annoy.

Webster 1913