From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdistressdis‧tress1 /dɪˈstres/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] 1 EXTREME WORRYUPSETa feeling of extreme unhappiness Luke’s behaviour caused his parents great distress.in distress The girl was crying and clearly in distress.2 LACK OF MONEY/FOODPOORsuffering and problems caused by a lack of money, food etc acute financial distressin distress charities that aid families in distress3 PAIN formal great physical pain4 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.
Examples from the Corpus
distress• Symptoms of panic attacks can include chest pain and abdominal distress.• It is imperative that these claims are dealt with discreetly to avoid any distress to the deceased's relatives.• The Home Office tried to ban the interview on the grounds it might cause distress to relatives of Nilsen's victims.• Breaking of a habit, or the disruption of a routine, can cause the horse considerable distress.• Children suffer emotional distress when their parents divorce.• The long railway journey added to his distress.• Edwards's uncle Joseph Hawley in distress searched his soul until the devil sent a despairing thought.• The sun became relentlessly hot, adding dehydration to my distress.• Social distress - a restricted, inadequate or disturbed individual whose social performance is in some way leading to personal difficulties.• They had the effect of diminishing the force of the decree, to the distress of non-Catholic observers.in distress• The girl was crying and clearly in distress.• The Family Shelter meets the needs of families in distress.distress signal• Even if the means could be found, there were reasons why they might never attempt to beam a distress signal into space.• On a given distress signal from him, or from anyone close to him, I was to post them off.• Failing all this, raising and lowering your outstretched arms at your side is an accepted international distress signal.• They act like linguistic distress signals.distressdistress2 ●○○ verb [transitive] UPSETto make someone feel very upset The dream had distressed her greatly.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
distress• The number of young men who called asking for Marie distressed her mother.• It distressed him to see Susie cry.• The prospect of a painful death distresses most people.From Longman Business Dictionarydistressdis‧tress /dɪˈstres/ noun [uncountable] LAW when someone’s goods are taken with the permission of a court of law so that they can be sold to pay unpaid rent, bills etcThe corporation had a power of absolute and immediate distress in the event of non-payment of dues.Origin distress1 (1200-1300) Old French destresse, from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere “to pull apart, prevent from acting or leaving” 