distress signal

noun

: a message that one is in danger
The pilot sent out a distress signal before the plane crashed.

Examples of distress signal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Maybe the Mets should wear them in games as a distress signal. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026 If the proper distress signal was set off (there’s some question about whether that happened), they should be rescued in a matter of hours. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026 What happened next, over the very long arc of human social evolution, is that this distress signal migrated. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2026 The flag code said the flag should never be displayed upside down except as a distress signal and should never touch the ground or anything else below it. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for distress signal

Browse Nearby Words

distressingly
distress signal
distress signal/call
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Distress signal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distress%20signal. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All