mayday mayday

Meanings

1. 1interjectionfixed phrase

   A radio distress call, repeated, used by ships and aircraft to signal immediate and serious danger to life.

   Grammar: Said on its own at the start of a radio message: 'Mayday mayday, mayday mayday, this is...'

   Patterns

   • mayday mayday, this is ...
   • send out a mayday mayday call

   The pilot's voice came over the radio: 'Mayday mayday, we are losing altitude.'

   The fishing boat sent a mayday mayday after the engine room flooded.

   Mayday mayday — the vessel is taking on water and we need immediate assistance.

2. 2phrasefixed phrasehumorousinformal

   Used playfully or dramatically in ordinary talk to say a situation is going badly and help is needed.

   Grammar: Said as a joke or exaggeration, not on a real radio: 'Mayday mayday, the cake is burning!'

   Patterns

   • mayday mayday, someone/something is doing something

   Mayday mayday — the printer has jammed again and the report is due in ten minutes.

   She ran into the kitchen shouting, 'Mayday mayday, the sauce is boiling over!'

Common combinations

send a mayday mayday

The crew sent a mayday mayday as the storm grew worse.

hear a mayday mayday

The coastguard heard a mayday mayday at dawn.

answer a mayday mayday

Another ship answered the mayday mayday within minutes.

mayday mayday call

The pilot made a mayday mayday call before landing in the field.

a real mayday mayday

This is not a drill — it is a real mayday mayday.

Synonyms and how they differ

SOS

SOS is a written or signaled distress call; mayday is spoken over the radio.

distress call

Distress call is the general term; mayday is the specific spoken word used at sea and in the air.

Word family

mayday interjection

The single form of the same distress call.

Commonly confused: mayday mayday or May Day?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “mayday mayday”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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