DISTRESS SIGNAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does distress signal mean? 

• DISTRESS SIGNAL (noun)
  The noun DISTRESS SIGNAL has 1 sense:

1. an internationally recognized signal sent out by a ship or plane indicating that help is needed

  Familiarity information: DISTRESS SIGNAL used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISTRESS SIGNAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An internationally recognized signal sent out by a ship or plane indicating that help is needed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

distress call; distress signal

Hypernyms ("distress signal" is a kind of...):

sign; signal; signaling (any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "distress signal"):

SOS (an internationally recognized distress signal in radio code)

Mayday (an internationally recognized distress signal via radiotelephone (from the French m'aider))

 Context examples 

“We need no distress signal,” Maud said.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)