out of the woods

IPA/ˌaʊtəv ðə wˈʊdz/
IPA/ˌaʊɾəv ðə wˈʊdz/

out of the woods — 慣用語

1. no longer facing serious risk or hardship after a dangerous or difficult period;

1.慣用語B2
釋義

脫離險境

脫離危險或困難處境

no longer facing serious risk or hardship after a dangerous or difficult period; past the critical point where things could still get worse.

例句

Anong was in hospital, but doctors say she is out of the woods now.

Anong 在住院，但醫生說她現在已經脫離險境了。

The company nearly went bankrupt, but now it is finally out of the woods.

那家公司差點破產，但現在它終於脫離了困境。

同義詞
  • in the clear

    less formal; focuses on being free from suspicion or blame rather than general danger.

  • safe and sound

    more emphatic about physical safety; used after a specific danger has passed.

  • past the worst

    focuses on the most difficult part being over, similar meaning but more literal.

反義詞
  • in deep trouble

    highlights the opposite — still facing serious difficulty.

  • in danger

    more general; lacks the idiomatic flavour.

  • up against it

    informal idiom meaning facing a difficult situation, opposite of being past it.

用法筆記

Almost always used in the negative: "not out of the woods (yet)". The affirmative form ("out of the woods") usually appears after a negative clause has been resolved.

常見錯誤

❌The patient is out of the wood.
✅The patient is out of the woods.
💡The phrase always uses the plural 'woods', even when referring figuratively to danger.
❌He is out of the woods of his problems.
✅He is out of the woods.
💡Do not add a prepositional phrase after the idiom; the 'woods' already metaphorically represents the difficulty.