1. A bad or difficult situation or state of affairs
   "The company was in dire straits after the market crash";
   - pass, strait
    
2. A difficult juncture
   "The company found itself in dire straits after losing its biggest client";
   - pass, head

1. A narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water
   "Ships pass through the Strait of Gibraltar to enter the Mediterranean";
   - sound

Sounds like: str

Type of: channel, juncture, occasion, situation

Encyclopedia: Straits