out of control

Idioms

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.

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.

"This is the staggering reality of what can happen when even well-meaning owners become overwhelmed - over-breeding can take over, and conditions can spiral out of control."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

And I recently shared my own embarrassing secret — that I didn’t have a budget, and my spending was getting out of control.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

The war could quickly spiral out of control, even with the vast superiority of the American military, he added.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 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

A chilling reminder of just how quickly events could get out of control.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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