1
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
I'm over the flu, but I still feel down-and-out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
a soup kitchen where the down-and-out daily line up for a hot meal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or down-and-outer
as in have-not
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of down-and-out
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
The rather down-and-out-looking fellow in front of me was buying a handful of lottery tickets.
—Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Kupferer’s real-life mother, the splendid Tara Mallen, plays her seemingly down-and-out mom in Mouse.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background.
—Andrew Pulver, Air Mail, 31 Jan. 2026
While the aggressively noirish script (by Kubrick and his friend Howard Sackler, who had also written Fear and Desire) about a down-and-out boxer who falls for a gangster’s moll sometimes comes off like a parody, Kubrick is clearly coming into his own here as an artist.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs — Coming off their first loss since September, the Broncos get a down-and-out Chiefs team playing its third-string quarterback.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
The feature is based on the 2018 documentary of the same name that told the story of a down-and-out fighter who becomes involved with one of the country’s top youth boxing programs.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025
Shroud killed Robert’s dad and now the down-and-out hero is on the warpath.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The once down-and-out chipmaker continues to fire on all cylinders under Lip Bu Tan, who has only been CEO for 13 months.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
The rather down-and-out-looking fellow in front of me was buying a handful of lottery tickets.
—Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Kupferer’s real-life mother, the splendid Tara Mallen, plays her seemingly down-and-out mom in Mouse.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background.
—Andrew Pulver, Air Mail, 31 Jan. 2026
While the aggressively noirish script (by Kubrick and his friend Howard Sackler, who had also written Fear and Desire) about a down-and-out boxer who falls for a gangster’s moll sometimes comes off like a parody, Kubrick is clearly coming into his own here as an artist.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs — Coming off their first loss since September, the Broncos get a down-and-out Chiefs team playing its third-string quarterback.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
The feature is based on the 2018 documentary of the same name that told the story of a down-and-out fighter who becomes involved with one of the country’s top youth boxing programs.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025
Shroud killed Robert’s dad and now the down-and-out hero is on the warpath.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-and-out
Adjective
-
Viel made a weak pass that led to the goal but had a strong hit on McDavid in the opening 20 minutes as well.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
With the uncertainty caused by the war with Iran, the price of oil going through the roof, and tariffs complicating company supply chains, analysts expected the labor market to get weaker.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Democrats have attacked these anti-fraud policies as an effort to undermine safety net programs for the impoverished.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The redevelopment could begin unfolding as the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, the former Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, begins construction on a new $35 million headquarters in Clay Arsenal, two major projects for the long-impoverished neighborhood.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
With fewer homes available for median earners, today's housing market is widening the gap between the haves and have-nots, with younger Americans less likely to buy a home, the study says.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Based on the video game from Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
However, people younger than 5 and older than 65, and those with weakened immune systems, may experience more severe symptoms and require treatment or hospitalization.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Illnesses may be more severe for young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.—
Addy Bink,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Injuries to key players on the Amazin’s contributed to some poor numbers as well.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Although poor students are disproportionately likely to receive special education in New York City, well-off disabled kids are the ones most acutely driving up the budget.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lower than proletariat workers, the lumpenproletariat includes the indigent and the unemployable, those cast out of the workforce with no recourse, or those who can’t enter it in the first place, such as young workers in times of economic depression.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
So, in retrospect, [the entire Lightning project] looked pretty feeble.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
-
His visit also comes as the committee stalls on advancing Casey Means, Kennedy’s nominee for surgeon general, over her lack of medical practice experience and feeble answers on the importance of vaccination.—
Daniel Payne,
STAT,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Titanic is still a subject of worldwide fascination, in part because of the range of passengers aboard the ship, from paupers to plutocrats.—
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The Titanic is still a subject of worldwide fascination, in part because of the range of passengers aboard the ship, from paupers to plutocrats.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Down-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-and-out. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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