# out of hand

Pronunciation: say "owt uhv HAND" /ˌaʊt əv ˈhænd/

## Adjective

1. No longer kept under control; having grown wild or unmanageable.
   - Simple: No longer under control, wild and hard to stop.
   - _The crowd grew rowdy, and within minutes the situation was out of hand._
   - _Spending on the project got out of hand long before anyone noticed._

## Adverb

2. Without giving something any further thought or consideration.
   - Simple: Without stopping to think about it first.
   - _The committee dismissed his proposal out of hand, refusing even to discuss it._
   - _You shouldn't reject criticism out of hand before weighing whether it's fair._

## Adverb

3. Immediately; at once; without any delay. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Right away, with no delay.
   - _Hearing the alarm, the soldiers armed themselves out of hand._
   - _The merchant, pleased with the terms, paid out of hand and sealed the bargain._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/out-of-hand (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).