rabbit hole

American

[rab-it hohl] / ˈræb ɪt ˌhoʊl /

noun

a tunnel made in the ground by a rabbit; a rabbit burrow.
Informal. a strange, disorienting, or frustrating situation or experience, typically one that is difficult to navigate: I have been down the rabbit hole of building a new home.

I had a history of depression and occasionally fell down dark, deep rabbit holes from which only medication and therapy could pull me out.
I have been down the rabbit hole of building a new home.
Informal. a time-consuming distraction of one's attention as happens when clicking through online links, following social media posts, or pursuing information.

After diving down an internet rabbit hole and poring over treatments, risks, and so on, she felt even more panicked.

Etymology

Origin of rabbit hole

First recorded in 1660–70; rabbit hole def. 2 was first recorded in 1935–40, from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Despite her efforts to curtail his behavior at home, the very technology bought by schools to help democratize learning had become the medium through which he fell deeper down his rabbit hole.

From Slate • May 12, 2026

ChatGPT did warn me, but when I pressed it went down a rabbit hole of how to trade them.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Choudhury’s account was my first stop falling down the dinosaur community rabbit hole, and one of the most edifying.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Or am I overthinking this and going too far down the rabbit hole?

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

How could anyone go this far down the rabbit hole without realizing they needed help?

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023