desperatedes‧per‧ate /ˈdespərət/ ●●○ S3 W3 adjective 
I had no money left and was desperate. Time was running out and we were getting desperate. the missing teenager’s desperate parentsdesperate with She was desperate with fear.2needing or wanting something very muchdesperate for The team is desperate for a win. I was desperate for a cigarette.desperate to do something He was desperate to get a job.3a desperate situation is very bad or serious: a desperate shortage of doctors We’re in desperate need of help.► see thesaurus at serious4a desperate action is something that you only do because you are in a very bad situationdesperate attempt/bid/effort a desperate attempt to escape We resorted to desperate measures.desperate battle/struggle/fight a desperate struggle to rescue the menCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 4nounsa desperate attempt· Brian’s parents agreed to the treatment in a desperate attempt to save his life.a desperate bid (=attempt)· He was standing in the middle of the road in a desperate bid to get help.a desperate effort· A desperate effort was made to reach an agreement.a desperate struggle/battle/fight· The climbers faced a desperate struggle to reach safety.desperate measures (=extreme things you do to stop a problem or bad situation)· They had to take desperate measures to stop the spread of the disease.a desperate search· The female bear has left her young in a desperate search for food.
WORD ORIGINdesperate
Origin:
1300-1400 Latin desperatus, past participle of desperare; ➔ DESPAIR2EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Another two weeks without emergency aid and I'd think things could become quite desperate.
- Refugees on the border are living in appalling conditions with desperate shortages of food, medicine and water.
- The hospital is full of people in desperate need of medical attention.
- The situation is desperate -- there are just not enough beds in the hospital.
- The situation was desperate. The enemy were now only a mile away.
- There was a desperate shortage of doctors.
- TV stations broadcast an appeal from the teenager's desperate parents.
- Had he not been she might have telephoned him instead of Nick, when she had been desperate for company.
- I was inspired by her optimism in the face of such desperate conditions.
- In desperate situations of life or death people come up with unheard-of wisdom.
- Musicians were so desperate to hear Michelangeli that they borrowed violin cases and sneaked in through the stage door.
- Punters get desperate when the firm they are dealing with is about to go bust.
- Pushing himself up, he staggered on, feeling angry and desperate inside.
- We have members of our association who are desperate and worried sick as to how they are going to survive.
THESAURUSvery bad
very bad – used about problems, accidents, illnesses, or crimes: · Violent crime is a serious problem in and around the capital.· The boy was taken to hospital with serious head injuries.· Fortunately, the damage to the car was not serious.
very serious – used about problems, injuries, and illnesses: · He suffered severe injuries in a car crash.· The problem became so severe that they had to bring water in from other countries.· severe epilepsy
used about a situation that is very serious and worrying, especially because it is dangerous or seems likely to get worse: · A thick fog descended and I knew that we were in grave danger.· The situation is grave – war now seems inevitable.
used about an illness, problem, or situation that has become very serious or dangerous, and needs to be dealt with quickly: · She was taken to the hospital suffering from acute appendicitis.· In San Diego, the shortage of skilled workers is acute.
used about a situation or problem that is very serious or dangerous, especially because a lot of people need urgent help: · The situation is desperate – people here need aid before the harsh winter sets in.· The hospital is full of people in desperate need of medical attention.
used about a situation that is very serious and dangerous and might get worse suddenly: · In 1991, the food supply situation became critical.· Eight people were killed and four are still in a critical condition.
used about a situation, illness, or condition in which someone could die: · Her child had a potentially life-threatening illness.· The situation was not life-threatening, but it was very worrying.
spoken to be extremely serious – used when a situation is very urgent or important: · For people living with HIV, getting the right treatment is literally a matter of life and death.
Longman Language Activatorwhen there is no hope of improvement or success · The firemen tried to stop the flames from spreading, but it was hopeless.· Remember, it's just when things look hopeless that you sometimes get a lucky break.
so bad that, unless you get help immediately, there is no hope: · The situation is desperate -- there are just not enough beds in the hospital.· Another two weeks without emergency aid and I'd think things could become quite desperate.
a gloomy situation is one in which there is very little hope of improvement: · This latest survey presents a gloomy picture of the Russian economy.· Evidence that the world's population is increasing faster than ever implies a gloomy prospect for humanity: starvation.
a bleak situation is one in which there is very little hope of improvement and will probably get worse: · His prospects of finding another job are bleak.· The future looked bleak for the Democratic party.
say this when a situation is so bad that it is useless to hope that it will improve: · The doctor has said there's no hope. She only has a few weeks to live.there is no hope of: · The prison was on a small, rocky island. There was no hope of escape.there is no hope for: · I'm afraid there's no hope for us, unless you can give us the help we need.
to need someone or something very much to urgently need something and want it very much: · Wendell was desperate for a girlfriend, yet crippled by his fear of rejection.· A cordon of police struggled to keep back onlookers and relatives desperate for news.
if a group of people are crying out for something such as help, food, or medicine, they need it very urgently because they are facing great difficulties without it: · The country is crying out for strong leadership.· As we all know, Birmingham has been crying out for a venue for local bands for several years.
to be unable to do the things that you have to do without someone who usually helps you or without something that you usually use: · I absolutely can't do without my mobile phone.· Patrick is an excellent assistant - I couldn't do without him.
if you depend on or rely on someone or something, you need them because they provide you with something that you need: depend/rely on somebody/something: · He was growing to depend on her, he knew that.· Not surprisingly, businesses that rely on government contracts are being hit badly by the spending cuts.depend/rely on somebody to do something: · Elvin depended on her to dress him, feed him and do many other tasks.· Many plants rely on birds to distribute their seeds.depend/rely on somebody for something: · Having to depend on her father for financial support was just not worth it, Sylvia decided.depend/rely heavily on/upon (=depend/rely a lot on): · State and local governments rely heavily on sales and property taxes.
if you are dependent on or are reliant on someone or something, you need them so much that you cannot exist or continue successfully without them, because they provide you with all the most important things you need: · In those days, he was very dependent on Connie and wouldn't do anything without first consulting her.be dependent/reliant on somebody/something for something: · Many old people are dependent on government benefits for their basic survival.be heavily dependent/reliant on (=be very reliant on): · Small companies are heavily reliant on the goodwill of the banks in order to keep going.
when a situation, problem accident etc is bad very bad - use this about problems, accidents, illnesses, or crimes: · The recent storms have caused serious damage.· The climbers got into serious difficulties and had to be air-lifted to safety.· In the last two weeks, the situation has become more serious, with riots and strikes spreading across the country.· Violent crime is a serious problem in and around the capital.· The boy was taken to hospital with serious head injuries.
a problem, illness, or accident that is bad is severe, and makes you feel worried: · The pain was really bad.· Paul's off work - he's got a bad cold.· Judy had been in a bad car crash several years before, and was still too nervous to drive.things are bad (=a situation is bad) spoken: · Things are bad in York - some people's houses have been flooded three times.
formal a grave situation or mistake is very serious and worrying because people are in danger and because the situation seems likely to get worse: · The situation is grave -- war now seems inevitable.· The ambassador declared that there would be grave consequences if the hostages were not released.grave danger: · A thick fog descended on the mountain, and I knew that we were in grave danger.grave risk: · There was a grave risk that the operation would leave him partly paralysed.grave mistake/error: · "It would be a grave mistake," said the president, "to ignore the problem, and pretend that it will go away."
a critical situation is very serious and dangerous and might get worse very suddenly - use this especially when people will die if it does not improve: · The situation is said to be critical and the army has been brought in to disperse the mob.· Things are now critical. Hospitals have no medicine, and people are running out of food.be in a critical conditionBritish /be in critical condition American (=so ill or badly injured that you could die): · Eight people were killed and four are still in a critical condition.
a desperate situation or problem is very serious or dangerous, and it does not seem possible that it will improve - use this especially when people will die if it does not improve: · Refugees on the border are living in appalling conditions with desperate shortages of food, medicine and water.· The situation was desperate. The enemy were now only a mile away.be in desperate need of something: · The hospital is full of people in desperate need of medical attention.
an acute illness, problem, or situation is one that has become very serious or dangerous, and needs to be dealt with quickly: · She was taken to the hospital suffering from acute appendicitis.· Patients suffering from acute depression may well need medication.· Nowhere is the problem more acute than Los Angeles County, where gang-related homicide is on the increase.· In San Diego, the shortage of skilled workers is acute.
a situation or piece of news that is grim is serious and unpleasant, and people think it will not get better: · The situation is grim for the innocent people, caught up in this conflict.· Rescue workers are continuing the grim task of searching for bodies.grim news: · The next few weeks brought more grim news, as the economic crisis began to deepen. grim prospect (=something bad that will probably happen): · Two thousand car workers face the grim prospect of redundancy.things look grim (=the situation seems grim): · Things look pretty grim for farmers at the moment.
spoken use this to say that something is serious and not something you should joke about: · Getting up for work at 5am every day is no laughing matter, especially in winter.· English teachers often joked that they could not pass the exam, but for the students it was no laughing matter.
if a situation is a matter of life and death , it is very serious, and what you do will affect whether the situation ends well or not - use this especially when it is possible that someone will die: · People grow their own food, and the success of their harvest is literally a matter of life or death.· In this town football isn't just a game - it's a matter of life and death.
informal if you say that a situation or event is no joke , it is difficult or unpleasant: · It's no joke if you have an accident in the mountains -- it's fifty miles to the nearest hospital.· Crossing the road was no joke with all the early morning traffic.
to want something very much to want something to happen, when it is unlikely or impossible that it will happen, or when you cannot control what will happen: wish (that): · I wish I had a car like that.· Beth wished she could stay there forever.wish somebody/something would do something: · I wish they would turn that music down.
especially spoken to want something very much, and feel that you would be happy if you had it: · I would love a cup of coffee.would love to do something: · She would love to have children, but she hasn't met the right man.· "Would you like to go on a Caribbean cruise?" "I'd love to!" would love somebody to do something: · My mother would love me to come and live in New York with her.
if you say that you would do anything , would give anything or would give your right arm , you mean you very much want to have something or do something, especially something that is impossible to get or do: would do anything/would give anything/would give your right arm for: · I would do anything for a drink right now!· I would give anything for a look at that file.would do anything/would give anything/would give your right arm to do something: · When she first started writing, she would have done anything to get an article printed.· I'd give my right arm to be 21 again.
also be keen to do something British to want to do something very much, especially because you think it will be interesting or enjoyable or it will help other people: · He's really keen to meet you.· I was eager to get my hands on these rare recordings.· Donna is very eager to prove her worth to the group.be keen for somebody to do something: · My parents were keen for me to be independent, and let me have a lot of freedom.
to want very much to do or achieve something, so that you make a great effort: · Miles was anxious to gain his boss's approval, and was always the last to leave the office in the evening.· A newly-arrived executive is usually anxious to make his mark in a new firm.be anxious for somebody/something to do something: · After the war, the government was anxious for the tourist industry to be revived.
to want something very much, and feel that you must have it or do it immediately: be dying to do something: · I'm dying to meet Lisa's new boyfriend.be dying for: · I'm dying for a drink - let's go to a bar.
especially British to want or need something so much that you will be very unhappy or disappointed if you do not get it: · I could see that they were desperate and needed help.be desperate to do something: · After having four boys, the couple were desperate to have a little girl.· We were desperate to view the inside of the house once we saw the garden.be desperate for: · Newspapers are always desperate for stories.
spoken say this when you want something to happen as soon as possible, because you know you will enjoy it and you are very excited about it: · "You're going on holiday soon, aren't you?" "Yes, I can't wait."I can't wait to do something: · I can't wait to see Bill again - it's been a long time.can't wait for: · I can't wait for Christmas.
to be impatient to do something that you are excited about, especially something you have not done before: · She's just itching to tell you about her new boyfriend.· Despite her success, however, it just wasn't much fun anymore. Liz was itching to try something different.
a word used especially in spoken English meaning to want something very much, especially something to eat, drink etc: · I need a drink - coming to the bar?· Dave's been working really hard - he needs a holiday.
to want as much of something as you can get, especially food, attention, or a drug: · I've always craved love and acceptance.· The review gave Picasso a taste of the recognition he craved.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 4nouns the desperate plight of the flood victims
1willing to do anything to change a very bad situation, and not caring about danger: · Brian’s parents agreed to the treatment in a desperate attempt to save his life.
(=attempt)· He was standing in the middle of the road in a desperate bid to get help.
· A desperate effort was made to reach an agreement.
· The climbers faced a desperate struggle to reach safety.
(=extreme things you do to stop a problem or bad situation)· They had to take desperate measures to stop the spread of the disease.
· The female bear has left her young in a desperate search for food.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· The family made a desperate appeal to their daughter to come home.· The London-based relief agency issued a desperate appeal for aid.
(=that involves a lot of effort)· Doctors made a desperate attempt to save his life.
(=one you make when you are in a very bad situation)· The fox made a desperate effort to get away.
· The parents took a desperate gamble by throwing their baby out of the burning building.
(=an extremely urgent need)· There is a desperate need to build more housing.
the desperate plight of the flood victims· After the war, many people returned to rural areas in a desperate search for food.
(=very serious and worrying)· There is a desperate shortage of fresh water in the disaster area.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Dave doesn't realise how desperate I am for sleep.· All I could think was how brave the thief was, or how desperate.· If he only knew how desperate she was to get away now that Peter had crystallised all her doubts.· It shows how desperate these people are to get out of their country, to get to a better place.· I can imagine how desperate she must be feeling.· It just shows how desperate New Yorkers are to be ahead of the curve.· Life is something worth fighting for, no matter how desperate or discouraging our present circumstances.· What lengths would they go to do so? How desperate were they for work?
· They threw bodies forward in an increasingly desperate pursuit of the equaliser, but Thompson's fierce angled drive settled the issue.· Still, industry sources acknowledge that stars have greater leverage in such negotiations as the search for prime-time hits becomes increasingly desperate.· Policies emerging from the Kremlin look increasingly desperate.
· Without papal assistance, crown finances would have been in even more desperate straits than in fact they were.· Schooling often represents the only avenue of escape from a much more desperate situation.· Campbell's lies got ever more desperate, particularly to Margaret.· But by 1613 even more desperate measures were in contemplation.· With every new step taken along that path, the enemies of peace grow more desperate.· The Collector resorted to even more desperate remedies.· The look in her eyes has grown gayer and more desperate.
· Although they are not completely spiny, they are nevertheless prickly enough to repel all but the most desperate of predators.· So far, the most desperate of measures has not been taken, perhaps because would-be refugees have nowhere to run.· But Castle Drachenfels still stands, shunned even by the most desperate and corrupt inhabitants of the Grey Mountains.· The most desperate outcry against the war was from women throughout the world, and especially from Arab women.· It hopes to mount 15 flights a day - carrying enough food to feed 500,000 of the most desperate famine victims.· Why do the most straight forward of people cling to the most desperate of secrets?· Luther, the leader of the youngest and most desperate guerrilla army in the world, accepts a chocolate biscuit.
· I felt rather desperate for him.· He looked into her rather desperate eyes and Maggie ran the tip of her tongue anxiously over her lips.
· People become so desperate to make contact with beasts and fowl that they resort to going on nature trails.· Musicians were so desperate to hear Michelangeli that they borrowed violin cases and sneaked in through the stage door.· The hospital's situation was so desperate that there was only one small bag of drugs to share between 300 sick children.· But so desperate was she to see her prince that she plunged into the water and drowned.· They'd found the lead they had been so desperate for.· Simeon was so desperate to stand out that he would show up in all sorts of strange costumes.· The customers didn't mind, they were so desperate for food, anything would of done.· I was so desperate for my community....
NOUN· In a desperate attempt to break the news gently to the Overs, Mr Cronje asked police not to visit their home.· He made two desperate attempts to recoup by staging the kind of garish spectacle that had once lured customers to the Falls.· Montag's speech is a desperate attempt to show her the reality of her life.· It's just a desperate attempt to make Sandra seem interesting.· Sadly, drugs used in a desperate attempt to save his life made most of his organs unusable.· A last desperate attempt to escape into the murky waters.· Joy made one last desperate attempt and produced the most horrendous squeak ever, like a hare caught by a harvest scythe.· This isn't a desperate attempt at reliving past glory, it's a little more sincere than that.
· She kept up the desperate battle until another ambulance reached them near Hexham, Northumberland.· He saw that all the company had dismounted, and were fighting a desperate battle against the pack that surrounded them.
· Or as a desperate bid to get Aviemore to come up with the money?· Protestors had climbed lime trees in a desperate bid to stop them being destroyed.· Then Vernage noticed Sergeant King staggering down the road in a desperate bid to flag down a car.· Even though he could barely stand, John made one last desperate bid for survival.· They meet again today in a desperate bid to sort out who gets what of next year's £244.5 billion spending cake.· Singlewood, 17, ran into the courtyard of Durham Castle in a desperate bid to shake off his pursuer.· Knox made a desperate bid to get in front at the last corner but Martin held his line and emerged the winner.
· Were you acting from your inner Child's desperate desire for love?· And underlying everything is the desperate desire of both Dole and President Clinton to carry California this fall.· It was wicked not to, he knew that, but now he felt a desperate desire to leap and jump.· You could remove a desperate desire to have a baby by other means.
· Then, with a desperate effort threw himself bodily away.· The independence wars are not freak events but desperate efforts at cultural survival.· Fights erupted outside supermarkets as shoppers battled for parking spaces in desperate efforts to stock up with canned goods.· In their distress, factories and workers engage in barter in a desperate effort to survive.· Riven hung on to his mount's bridle grimly whilst it bucked and reared in a desperate effort to get away.· A desperate effort was made to reach agreement.· In a desperate effort to camouflage falling rents and values landlords have been offering inducements to tenants.
· Theresa Stevens, 21, was beaten, repeatedly stabbed and strangled as she put up a desperate fight to save herself.
· Sawing that leg in half was the last act of a desperate man, and he wasn't that desperate.· They were borne down by desperate men who wanted only to kill before they were killed.· Its captain, a desperate man with a criminal past, might throw the children overboard.· Perhaps someday the historians would call it the act of a desperate man.· Somewhere in the impenetrable blackness was a desperate man, cold, hungry, hunted.· The desperate men and surviving vehicles splashed across and raced after the masses that had crossed the bridge before it was obstructed.
· But by 1613 even more desperate measures were in contemplation.· Desperate times call for desperate measures.· The first is that if she stayed it would look as if the Conservatives were resorting to desperate measures.· James's increasing financial difficulties impelled him to desperate measures.· There are other examples, however, of desperate times begetting desperate measures.
· With hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need of food and shelter, six more helicopters were sent from Pretoria.· By June 1950 a series of desperate needs had come together.· His fear of blood had been overcome tonight because of his desperate need not to be a killer of animals.· He had a desperate need to control both people and events.· And with winter approaching there's a desperate need for more clothing and shoes.· The knocking was continuous now, as though some one were in desperate need.· It's a shame because the chassis has potential but the entire project is in desperate need of finance.
· It is dangerous, full of desperate people.· The brave and often desperate people who crowded the station came from all over the world hoping to find a better life.· These desperate People parade in my sleep.· Towns with names like Connacht, Munster, Rosedale and Hanratty that teem with cramped lives and desperate people.
· This is one response to a desperate search for space and spectacle which is increasingly being denied in the United Kingdom.· In her desperate search for clues, Joan visited clairvoyants across the country.· Thousands of pastoralists have brought their cattle to Nairobi in a desperate search for grazing.· It was a desperate search for cuts and economies.· Starving, the kits left the den in a desperate search for food.
· Surely London employers were suffering from a desperate shortage of school-leavers?· Again the desperate shortage of materials and the home-made nature of the goods was evident.· While toy sales here have hit a record high they face a desperate shortage of clean water.
· In desperate situations of life or death people come up with unheard-of wisdom.· If this is correct, it confirms Posidonius' awareness of the desperate situation of the slaves before the rebellion.· Schooling often represents the only avenue of escape from a much more desperate situation.· But desperate situations called for desperate lies.· Even in their desperate situation, they spent their time reading books or magazines, and remained orderly.
· A snowy wasteland yields the third key, but only after a desperate struggle with its guardians, the Ice Soldiers.· But we would not give it up without a desperate struggle.· Then they become enmeshed in a desperate struggle about who is to be the baby.
I had no money left and was desperate. Time was running out and we were getting desperate. the missing teenager’s desperate parentsdesperate with She was desperate with fear.2needing or wanting something very muchdesperate for The team is desperate for a win. I was desperate for a cigarette.desperate to do something He was desperate to get a job.3a desperate situation is very bad or serious: a desperate shortage of doctors We’re in desperate need of help.► see thesaurus at serious4a desperate action is something that you only do because you are in a very bad situationdesperate attempt/bid/effort a desperate attempt to escape We resorted to desperate measures.desperate battle/struggle/fight a desperate struggle to rescue the menCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 4nounsa desperate attempt· Brian’s parents agreed to the treatment in a desperate attempt to save his life.a desperate bid (=attempt)· He was standing in the middle of the road in a desperate bid to get help.a desperate effort· A desperate effort was made to reach an agreement.a desperate struggle/battle/fight· The climbers faced a desperate struggle to reach safety.desperate measures (=extreme things you do to stop a problem or bad situation)· They had to take desperate measures to stop the spread of the disease.a desperate search· The female bear has left her young in a desperate search for food.