distress call


noun
  1. a prearranged communication code sign indicating that the sender is in a situation of peril, distress, or the like, as SOS, Mayday, etc.: Compare distress signal (def. 1).

  2. a communication prompted by or indicating distress: The hospital sent out distress calls for all available stocks of the antitoxin.

Origin of distress call

1
First recorded in 1910–15

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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