distress call
Americannoun
-
a prearranged communication code sign indicating that the sender is in a situation of peril, distress, or the like, as SOS, Mayday, etc.
-
a communication prompted by or indicating distress.
The hospital sent out distress calls for all available stocks of the antitoxin.
Etymology
Origin of distress call
First recorded in 1910–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last November, the South African government said it had received distress calls from the group of men who had joined mercenary forces in the conflict.
From BBC
Officials received a distress call around 11:30 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times
In the latest such tragedy, a boat loaded with more than 200 people made a distress call overnight December 31 to January 1 near the North Bank region.
From Barron's
The boat, loaded with more than 200 people, made a distress call overnight Wednesday to Thursday near the North Bank region.
From Barron's
In November, South Africa's government said it had received distress calls from 17 citizens who were trapped in Ukraine's war-torn Donbas region after joining mercenary forces.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
