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out from under

Idioms  
  1. Free from difficulties, especially from a burden of debts or work. For example, They've been using credit cards for everything and don't know how they'll get out from under, or We have loads of mail to answer, but we'll soon get out from under. This idiom uses under in the sense of “in a position of subjection.” [Mid-1800s]


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.

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I had pulled over on the road in Pebble Beach to check an address when my left foot slid out from under me and the bike fell heavily under my graceless straddle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Any songwriter should be so lucky — to have one of your hallmark tunes be lovingly swept out from under you and become one of the definitive ballads of pop music.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

But hearing her husband and getting him out from under tons of concrete and debris were very different things.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Then she mounts a free show in Central Park, something he can’t buy out from under her, that breaks attendance records.

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

Nathan’s boat bobbed out from under him and began to float away.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

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