From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe in dire straitsbe in dire straitsto be in an extremely difficult or serious situation Everyone agrees the sport is in dire straits. → dire
Examples from the Corpus
be in dire straits• Peggy realized what dire financial straits she was in when her husband died.• The company is in dire financial straits.• Everton, to put it bluntly, are in dire straits.• The result is a society that was in dire straits because its cannibalism turned against itself, involving even small children.• The team is in such dire straits they've even considered selling their three best players.be in dire straitsbe in dire straitsPROBLEMto be in a very difficult situation, especially a financial one After the war, the country’s economy was in dire straits. The firm is now in dire financial straits. → straitExamples from the Corpus
be in dire straits• Everton, to put it bluntly, are in dire straits.• The result is a society that was in dire straits because its cannibalism turned against itself, involving even small children. 