Synonyms and antonyms of To be in, or to get into a difficult situation in British Thesaurus

run out of road ()

to have come to the end of all possibilities for action

suffer (verb)

to be badly affected by a very difficult or unpleasant situation

undergo (verb)

to experience something, especially something that is unpleasant but necessary

come under ()

to be forced to experience something unpleasant

endure (verb)

to suffer something difficult or unpleasant in a patient way over a long period

incur (verb)

to experience something unpleasant as a result of something that you have done

go through ()

to experience something difficult or unpleasant

be in dire/desperate straits ()

to be in a very difficult situation, especially one involving a lack of money

be (caught/stuck) between a rock and a hard place ()

to be in a position in which you have to choose between two things that are not good

be in the grip of something ()

to be in a difficult or unpleasant situation

a bad/sticky/difficult/rough patch ()

a period of time in your life that is difficult or unpleasant

be at/reach (a) low ebb ()

to be in a very small, weak, or unsuccessful state

be at the sharp end of something ()

to be involved in the most difficult or dangerous part of something

be (caught/stuck) in the middle ()

if you are caught or stuck in the middle of two people who are arguing, you feel as though you are expected to support both of them

be chained to something ()

to be forced to stay in an unpleasant situation

be cursed with something ()

to have a particular serious problem that continues or is repeated for a long time

be/get burned ()

to suffer by being treated badly, especially in a relationship

be/get caught (up) in something ()

to become unexpectedly involved in an unpleasant or annoying situation

be/get in over your head ()

to be or become involved in a situation in which you do not have the necessary skills, knowledge, or money to succeed

be/get tangled up in something ()

to be or become involved in a difficult situation

be hard hit/hit hard ()

to be very badly affected by something

be hard put/pressed/pushed to do something ()

to find it very difficult to do something

be in a cleft stick ()

to be in a difficult situation, especially one that forces you to make one of two choices that will each bring problems

be in dead trouble/be dead meat ()

to be in serious trouble

be in the soup ()

to have a lot of problems

be pushed to do something (informal)

informal to have difficulty in doing something

be sunk ()

to be in a bad situation that will bring problems or defeat

be threatened with something ()

to be likely to be affected by something bad

be torn by something (mainly journalism)

mainly journalism if a place or group of people is torn by an unpleasant event or situation, it is very seriously affected by it

be up the creek (without a paddle) ()

to be in a difficult situation

bump up against ()

to experience a problem that slows down your progress

careen (verb)

mainly American to be in a situation that changes quickly in an uncontrolled way

career (verb)

to be in a situation that you cannot control because things are happening so quickly

carry a (heavy) load/burden ()

to have responsibility for something difficult or unpleasant

come to grief ()

to have an accident

come up against ()

to have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant

do something the hard way ()

to have a bad experience doing something, often when this is your own fault

draw/get the short straw ()

to be the person in a group who has to do an unpleasant or difficult job

encounter (verb)

to experience or deal with something, especially a problem

face (verb)

if you face a problem, or if it faces you, it is likely or certain to happen and you have to deal with it

fall foul of ()

to get into trouble with someone or something

flounder (verb)

to experience difficulties and be likely to fail

get the rough end of the pineapple ()

to be treated in an unfair way

get what’s coming to you ()

to experience something bad, which you deserve

go through/put someone through the mill ()

to experience a difficult or unpleasant period of time

go through/put someone through the wringer (American)

American to suffer, or to make someone suffer, an unpleasant experience

have a job doing/to do something ()

to have difficulties doing something

have a job on your hands ()

to have a difficult piece of work to do

have a lot/too much to lose ()

to be in a position where something bad might happen if you are not successful

have a torrid time ()

to experience a very difficult period of time

have had it ()

if someone has had it, they are in serious trouble, or they are going to fail

have had your chips ()

to be in a bad situation that will not get better

have nothing to lose ()

if you have nothing to lose, you can try something because even if you fail it will not make your situation any worse, but you might gain if you succeed

have your back to the wall ()

to be in a difficult situation with few choices, so that you have to work or fight very hard

have your work cut out (for you) ()

to have a difficult job to do

hit (verb)

informal to have a problem when you are trying to do something

labour under ()

to exist or try to live in a situation where there are serious difficulties or problems

land (verb)

informal to be in an unpleasant situation or place, or to cause someone to be in an unpleasant situation or place

languish (verb)

to remain in a difficult or unpleasant situation for a long time

let yourself in for something (informal)

informal to put yourself in a difficult situation

lurch from something to something ()

to keep having serious problems, usually caused by a lack of judgment

meet with ()

to unexpectedly experience trouble, danger, difficulty etc

meet your match ()

to be in a situation in which your opponent is as good as you or better

not have a leg to stand on ()

to not have any way of proving that you are right about something

not know where/which way to turn ()

to not know what to do in a difficult situation

pay (verb)

to suffer because of something that you have done

plunge (verb)

to suddenly put someone or something in a much less successful situation, or to be suddenly put in such a situation

plunge into ()

to suddenly get into a particular state or situation

pull in different/opposite directions ()

to be in a situation in which you feel loyalty to opposing aims or people

run into/come up against/hit etc a (brick) wall ()

to reach a point in a process where there are problems that seem impossible to solve

run into trouble/difficulty/problems etc ()

to start to have trouble/difficulty/problems etc

run the gauntlet ()

to experience a difficult situation, for example a lot of questions, criticism, or attacks

run up against ()

if you run up against problems, difficulties etc, you have to deal with them

sandwich between ()

to face a difficult choice between two duties or responsibilities

someone has been to hell and back ()

someone has suffered a lot or has had bad experiences

stare something in the face ()

if you are staring something unpleasant in the face, you are close to suffering it

submit (verb)

to allow something to happen to you, especially something unpleasant

suffer (verb)

to experience something very unpleasant or painful

sustain (verb)

formal to experience loss, injury, damage etc

take a battering ()

to suffer very badly, for example by being easily defeated

take a hit ()

to suffer damage or loss

take a pounding ()

to suffer a lot of damage

take shit from someone ()

to let someone treat you badly

walk a tightrope ()

to be in a difficult situation in which a very small mistake could have very bad results