out of control
The phrase "out of control" is commonly used to describe situations, behaviors, or systems that have lost manageability or restraint.
Definition
B2General
(informal)Not manageable or governable; beyond the ability to be directed or restrained.
Example
- The fire spread quickly and was soon out of control.
- Her emotions were out of control after hearing the shocking news.
B2Behavior
(informal)Exhibiting actions that are chaotic, unrestrained, or excessively disruptive.
Example
- The children were running around the house completely out of control.
- His anger got out of control during the argument.
B2Situation
(informal)In a state where normal regulation or order is lost, leading to potential harm or disorder.
Example
- The economy is out of control and may crash soon.
- The crowd became out of control during the concert.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "out of control":
out of handunder controloff the railswild outout of whackout of lineout of orderout of boundsoff the chainout of one's mindcontrol freakout of reachout of itgo overboardrun wildrun riotout ofon the looseout of touchloose cannonout of placeout of syncall outout of jointout of stepout of characteroff the trackgo wild