out of hand
Idioms-
See out of control .
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At once, immediately, as in The second surgeon rejected the doctor's treatment plan out of hand . [1300s]
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.
The move comes at a time of growing investor worry that Big Tech spending on AI is getting out of hand, although outlays on computing infrastructure have hardly lost steam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
On Monday High Court Judge Michael Keehan said that Judge Tolson had been wrong to dismiss "out of hand so serious an allegation that it was being investigated by the police".
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
This correlation has long been the subject of urban myths on Wall Street, and many have dismissed it out of hand.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
“This is genuine. I want to help kids and their families out in a space that has gotten out of hand in a hurry.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
A black cop came along and told them not to let the fire get out of hand.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
