out of one's depth
The phrase "out of one's depth" often refers to situations where someone feels overwhelmed due to a lack of necessary skills or knowledge.
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Definition
B2General
(figurative, idiomatic)In a situation that exceeds one's ability to manage or understand.
Example
- She felt out of her depth in the advanced calculus class.
- When he started his new job, he quickly realized he was out of his depth.
B2Literal
(literal)In water too deep to stand, posing a risk of drowning.
Example
- He was out of his depth in the deep end of the pool.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "out of one's depth":
out of one's leaguedeep endbeyond one's pay gradeover one's headabove oneselfoff the deep endout of one's timeout of one's boxout of touchdeep waterbeyond someone's graspout of placeout of itout of one's mindtoo big for one's britchesget ahead of oneselfon thin iceout of reachin the weeds