over one's head
Idioms-
To a position higher than another's, as in She was furious when her assistant was promoted over her head . Similarly, go over someone's head means “appeal to a higher authority,” as in Since she couldn't help me, I decided to go over her head and talk to her supervisor . [Mid-1500s]
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Beyond one's understanding or competence, as in The math required to complete these figures is way over my head . [Early 1600s] For a synonym, see out of one's depth . Also see in deep (over one's head) .
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.
Paralyzing traffic is one symptom; the increasingly absurd price of putting a roof over one’s head is another.
From New York Times ● May 7, 2018
Pouring a bucket of ice water over one’s head, quite frankly, is.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2014
For others, any roof over one’s head is better than none.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2011
For cash-squeezed consumers by the millions, shopping on credit for everything from a new suit of clothing, to cars, kitchen appliances, even a roof over one's head, is increasingly painful.
From Time Magazine Archive
Even when screened with thin silk drawn across the bottom there is something deadening to one's brain in having a light just over one's head.
From Furnishing the Home of Good Taste A Brief Sketch of the Period Styles in Interior Decoration with Suggestions as to Their Employment in the Homes of Today by Lucy Abbot Throop
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.
