get out of hand
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To become uncontrollable; to escalate beyond what was intended.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Trở nên mất kiểm soát, leo thang quá mức dự định
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: To slip out of one’s hand or grip.
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Describing situations that escalated — parties, arguments, costs.
Register: neutralConnotation: negativeEra: 19th century – present
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The joke thread got out of hand and HR had to step in.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Common questions
What does “get out of hand” mean?
To become uncontrollable; to escalate beyond what was intended. Literally: To slip out of one’s hand or grip.
Is “get out of hand” formal or informal?
get out of hand is generally neutral; connotation: negative.