out of hand

Thân thiện

The children's play got out of hand.

Definition

Adverb 1. Out of control; unmanageable: Describes a situation that has become chaotic, disorderly, or impossible to manage or restrain. 2. Immediately, without consideration: Describes a decision or rejection made instantly, without any discussion or deliberation.

Usage Examples

• Adverb (Out of control):
  • The party got out of hand when too many uninvited guests arrived.
  • We need to address this issue before the rumors get out of hand.
• Adverb (Immediately, without consideration):
  • The proposal was rejected out of hand by the committee.
  • He dismissed my concerns out of hand, which was very frustrating.

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used to describe situations involving groups, emotions, or events that escalate beyond acceptable limits.
• When used to mean "immediately," it typically modifies verbs like , , or , indicating a summary and conclusive action.

Variants and Related Words

• Out-of-hand (Adjective, hyphenated): Sometimes used attributively before a noun.
  • The meeting was an out-of-hand disaster from the start.

Synonyms

• Out of control: Unruly, chaotic, wild.
• Immediately: Summarily, peremptorily, outright.

Related Phrases

• Get out of hand: To become uncontrollable. (This is the primary phrasal usage of the core phrase).
  • If we don't set rules, the spending will get out of hand.
• Be out of hand: To be in an uncontrollable state.
  • The protest was completely out of hand.

Related Idioms

• Get out of someone's hands: To move beyond someone's control or responsibility. (Note: This is a distinct, though related, idiom).
  • The investigation has gotten out of our hands and is now a federal matter.

Học thuật

Adverb

1. out of control
   • the riots got out of hand

Từ đồng nghĩa

• beyond control