How to Use desperate in a Sentence

desperate

adjective
  • He made a desperate bid to save his job.
  • We could hear their desperate cries for help.
  • The collapse of her business had made her desperate.
  • They made one last desperate attempt to fight their way out.
  • As the supply of food ran out, people became desperate.
  • The state is in desperate need of one of those things.
    — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025
  • There is a desperate need for such gifts.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Rafa was desperate to prove the doubters wrong.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • And the world is in desperate need.
    — Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 19 May 2026
  • Trump is desperate to avoid that.
    — Chris Brennan, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Too long for the desperate hostages.
    — Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Some students are desperate to get a seat for the big game.
    — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026
  • All that leads many people to desperate acts to get rid of them.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • This is best saved for those who are desperate for the perfect sleep.
    — WIRED, 27 Nov. 2022
  • The worst of them flew home more desperate than ever.
    — Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The trio used palm tree branches to make their desperate plea.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
  • Those who can’t will be forced to take more desperate measures.
    — Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 May 2022
  • This diner is nice, though, not a spot in desperate need of a deep clean.
    — Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Who among us hasn’t made such phone calls to our mothers in desperate times?
    — Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 4 Aug. 2023
  • Scams are out and about, looking to catch desperate fans.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The boy in the grainy video feed sounded desperate.
    — Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2026
  • In times like these, even good people can end up in desperate straits when things go bad.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2023
  • Rome wasn’t built in a day, but a few desperate deals can destroy you for a decade.
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 27 June 2026
  • Huw comes across as weak, desperate and clueless.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Grand Forks is not a moribund city in desperate need of work.
    — New York Times, 17 July 2022
  • They were supposed to be near death and in desperate need of end-of-life care to ease their pain.
    — Kim Christensen, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2022
  • Wading the streets was a task for only the bravest or the most desperate.
    — Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Cordell shot his cellmates a desperate look.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
  • This was a flat-out fight with officials desperate to break it up.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
  • To me, this team is desperate for a fresh set of eyes and a different mind set.
    — Murat Ates, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desperate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: