out of control

Idioms  

1. Also, out of hand. No longer under management, direction, or regulation; unmanageable or unruly. For example, Housing costs are out of control, or The children were getting out of hand again. The first term uses control in the sense of “restraint,” a usage dating from the late 1500s; the variant uses hand in the sense of “power” or “authority,” and dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

Last week, we asked you to tell us about your biggest money mistakes — and you opened up about everything from dicey stock-market bets to spending habits that got out of control.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Everything is out of control, and Charlie and Emma are left to head home on their own to figure out the next steps, if there are any next steps to be taken at all.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

We don’t yet want to say that the situation has spiraled out of control, but the spiral could be only a couple of headstrong choices away.

From Slate • Mar. 21, 2026

Policymakers are likely to assure Europeans that they will not let inflation get out of control with still-fresh memories of 2022’s surge in energy and food prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

His curls, though freshly combed, were already starting to sproing out of control.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix