out-of-control
out-of-control — idiom
1. no longer able to be guided, limited, or calmed by the people responsible, so a
no longer able to be guided, limited, or calmed by the people responsible, so a situation, crowd, or feeling grows worse on its own
The kitchen fire quickly got out of control before the firefighters could arrive.
get out of control for a worsening physical situation
Tamar watched the small argument spin out of control into a shouting match.
spin out of control: a calm thing turning chaotic fast
House prices in the city have spiralled out of control over the past two years.
The crowd at the concert was out of control once the band stopped playing.
Hamza tried to calm the children, but their excitement was completely out of control.
- unmanageable
more formal; stresses that no method works any longer
- chaotic
emphasises disorder and confusion rather than the loss of control itself
- wild
informal; often used of behaviour or parties that nobody is restraining
- under control
being successfully managed and kept within safe limits
- manageable
able to be dealt with without much difficulty
文法句型
get out of control
spin out of control
spiral out of control
be out of control
用法筆記
Usually follows verbs of change such as get, spin, or spiral, or the verb be. The subject is typically a situation, group of people, cost, or strong feeling that no one can manage any longer.
常見錯誤
out-of-control — adjective
1. describing something that has grown so fast or so wild that nobody is keeping it
describing something that has grown so fast or so wild that nobody is keeping it within safe or normal limits any more
Firefighters spent three days fighting the out-of-control blaze in the dry hills.
out-of-control + noun (blaze) in attributive position
Dewi worried about the out-of-control spending in her small startup.
out-of-control + spending / costs
The town finally cleared the out-of-control weeds choking the riverbank.
Neighbours complained about the out-of-control party next door at two in the morning.
Sofia wrote a report on out-of-control housing costs across the region.
- controlled
kept within careful, deliberate limits
- contained
stopped from spreading any further
文法句型
out-of-control + noun
an out-of-control situation
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively, directly before a noun such as fire, spending, party, or growth. For the predicative meaning ('the fire was out of control'), the unhyphenated phrase is used instead.