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

See Examples For:

out of control

This indicates that while an oil-price shock might have acted as the spark for the bond selloff, accumulated debts are the dry fuel causing the blaze to get out of control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Manchester City's legal fight with the Premier League has the potential to "spiral out of control", a former top club executive has warned.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

But instead, it spread wildly, devastatingly out of control.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

He claimed that Paltrow skied out of control and slammed into him, causing four broken ribs and permanent brain damage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

The dentist promised it would make her sleepy and relaxed, but Hazel felt like she was floating away from her own body, panicky and out of control.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan