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.
Even as the war in Iran has seemed to de-escalate since a ceasefire began last week, we’ve recently witnessed just how out of hand things could possibly still get.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026
In short, everything got out of hand quickly and weirdly, but such is life in America 250 years after its founding.
From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026
The party got out of hand, and the company, its employees, my family and I all paid dearly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
In France, where politicians have discussed a boycott, sports minister Marina Ferrari and Philippe Diallo, president of the country’s soccer federation, both dismissed such talk out of hand.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
I let this get way out of hand.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
