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Synonyms

up a tree

Idioms  

  1. In a difficult situation, as in They found the drugs in his suitcase, so he was up a tree. This expression alludes to an animal, such as a raccoon or squirrel, that climbs a tree for refuge from attackers, which then surround the tree so it cannot come down. [Colloquial; early 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.

Church-goers lit up a tree decorated with stars bearing the image of those killed in June.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

Responding to a call, Susan Clark of Topanga Animal Rescue witnessed BB14 facing down yipping coyotes, with her cubs up a tree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

You don’t have to load up a tree with ornaments, either.

From Washington Times • Dec. 6, 2023

It seems animal rescue is all part of the job for firefighters in Russia too but in Smolensk it was a bit more serious than a cat up a tree.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2023

When the same group heard a recording of the second call, the lion warning, they quickly scrambled up a tree.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

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.