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.
"It's those moments before a wildfire gets out of control that could be critical to stopping it before it gets out of hand," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
“That was partly our fault,” Davis told me in an interview of the way expectations got out of hand.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
“We’re millennials and we’ve been seeing this on TikTok. We were like, ‘It’s starting to look like it’s getting out of hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The government’s securities regulator said Tuesday it had spoken with institutional investors about measures to prevent market turbulence after some brokerages said the AI rush might be getting out of hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
A black cop came along and told them not to let the fire get out of hand.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
