- 1[usually before noun] (formal) very serious living in dire poverty Such action may have dire consequences. We're in dire need of your help. The firm is in dire straits (= in a very difficult situation) and may go bankrupt.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- 2(informal) (of a warning or threat) predicting disaster dire warnings about breathing the fumes
Check pronunciation: dire