How to Use desperate in a Sentence

desperate

adjective
Definition of desperatenext
Synonyms for desperatenext
  • 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 trio headed to the rental car area, where hundreds of desperate people were trying to secure cars.
    — Noah Goldbergstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2022
  • Fans of the fast-growing sport say South Florida is in desperate need of more places to play.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2023
  • Companies are desperate for help with their automations.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
  • More quitting suggests there are still plenty of businesses, desperate to hire, that are offering higher pay to lure workers from their current jobs.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2023
  • The queen accepts that answer, clearly desperate to end the uncomfortable meeting as quickly as possible.
    — Emma Dibdin, ELLE, 6 Jan. 2023
  • Yuri Canton, a bus driver from Havana, said new policies would not discourage desperate people from trying to cross the border.
    — Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023
  • Ji-soo is desperate to talk to In-han, but In-han just wants to get away.
    — Kayti Burt, TIME, 7 June 2024
  • Crises bring out the good in people, the desire to help those more desperate.
    — Joel Achenbach, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Mar. 2023
  • The last thing viewers see is the phone call, and a desperate Deon running back into the smoky home to find the rest of the kids.
    — Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 6 June 2023
  • The trio used palm tree branches to make their desperate plea.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
  • Those desperate for the Virgin Mary’s help shuffle across the square on their knees.
    — Viet Thanh Nguyen, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2023
  • Poway missed a pair of desperate 3s in the final seconds.
    — Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024
  • Who among us hasn’t made such phone calls to our mothers in desperate times?
    — Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 4 Aug. 2023
  • The Parks Department said those large parks are in desperate need of cash.
    — John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2024
  • Both teams are in desperate need of wins on Thursday evening.
    — Catena Media, al, 19 Jan. 2023
  • 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
  • The host is the one person on Oscar night who isn’t allowed to look desperate.
    — Vulture, 13 Mar. 2023
  • Growing desperate, Tepper wanted the team to move up to the No. 1 spot in the draft and land a quarterback.
    — Steve Reed, The Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2024
  • The decision to write came from a desire to do more with her time and a desperate need to tell stories.
    — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2023
  • On came the Buffaloes’ field-goal unit, an all-too-familiar sight for a team in desperate need of more points.
    — Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023
  • There’s always a social code that can save you in a moment of desperate agony.
    — Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Dec. 2023
  • The franchise is desperate to reclaim itself among the greats.
    — Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2023
  • His forces also made gains at a time when Putin was desperate for wins, such as capturing the town of Soledar.
    — Peter Aitken, Fox News, 24 June 2023
  • The Dolphins’ tight end would make for a nice pairing on offense, but the Cowboys aren’t in desperate need for a tight end.
    — Dallas News, 4 Mar. 2023
  • This time, the duo is venturing into a new endeavor: helping desperate homeowners breathe fresh life into their seemingly unworkable abodes.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2024

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.

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