How to Use desperation in a Sentence

desperation

noun
  • They hired me out of desperation, because they couldn't get anyone else.
  • Finally, in desperation, he tried to flee the country.
  • She felt overcome by desperation.
  • Screams of desperation pierce the air amid the sound of sirens in the distance.
    — Julia Jester, NBC News, 21 Dec. 2023
  • By the end of the first half, the Bulls’ jump shots were tinged with desperation.
    — Julia Poe, chicagotribune.com, 23 Mar. 2022
  • The Browns or the Giants may feel the itch of desperation and draft Sanders in the top three.
    — Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • On its face, the move comes with a whiff of desperation.
    — Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 28 June 2022
  • The snap was low and holder Bryce Baringer had to roll to his right and throw the ball in desperation.
    — Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 15 Oct. 2022
  • This could be the game of the week, largely because of the deep desperation on both sides.
    — Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
  • The change feels like an act of desperation from a coach and a front office on the hot seat.
    — Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Oct. 2022
  • Despite the blue skies, the mood was one of desperation.
    — Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2023
  • With four more teams on bye this week, there's desperation in the air.
    — Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2021
  • As the shot clock wound down, a desperation 3-pointer banked in off the glass.
    — Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 27 Mar. 2022
  • On the Count of Three) who was doing stand-up in L.A. at the time, was struck by his lack of desperation.
    — Dan Hyman, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2022
  • Was the desperation throw part of the initial play call?
    — Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Dec. 2022
  • Many in the area seem to know someone who has gone to the bridge in a cascade of desperation and distress.
    — Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023
  • The three-touchdown deficit left Notre Dame in a state of desperation.
    — Charles Odum, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Last year, in the months before the election, there was a new air of desperation in some of the rhetoric of CNP members.
    — Robert O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2021
  • Smith got it back and hoisted a desperation 3 at the shot-clock buzzer.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2022
  • The list of names who were sought, in mounting desperation, to fill his shoes is a who’s who of (all-white) A-list talent from the mid-1990s.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
  • There are traces of King’s desperation on Young Blood as well.
    — Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2022
  • In desperation, Jake takes Grace to the Omaticaya for help.
    — Adam B. Vary, Variety, 14 Dec. 2022
  • In that case, out of desperation, the league would have no choice but to strategically raid the Group of Five. 4.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2023
  • But calm down, the paintings will be fine — and the desperation is real.
    — Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 8 Dec. 2022
  • Both teams entered the contest 1-2 in league play and played with a sense of desperation.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Jan. 2025
  • The terrible thing here is that the desperation in Rex is so acute.
    — Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 29 Oct. 2024
  • And the Raptors, who slid to ninth place in the East with Wednesday’s loss, figured to play with true desperation.
    — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Apr. 2023
  • The problem for the Heat has been facing teams with equal desperation.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2023
  • After the Celtics predictably rolled to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, driven by their desperation, play slowed and the lead shrank.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 8 May 2025
  • The foul went uncalled, and time expired as Hardaway’s desperation shot missed wide of the basket, putting Detroit in a 3-1 hole in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desperation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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