to-be-out-of-the-woods
/tə biː aʊt əv ðə wʊdz/ IELTSAcademic
idiom
If someone is not out of the woods, they are not yet safe or free from trouble. The problem may be improving, but it could still come back or continue.
- The patient is better, but she is not out of the woods yet.
- We are not out of the woods financially.
- The storm passed, but the town was not out of the woods.
Adinary Nuance
Use out of the woods when a problem is not fully over yet. It is stronger and more vivid than better or improving, because it warns that danger may still remain. Writers often use it after illness, financial trouble, or a crisis. It is common in both speech and news writing.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- chưa qua cơn nguy
- Spanish
- no estar fuera de peligro
- Chinese
- 还没脱离危险
- Japanese
- 危機を脱していない
- Korean
- 아직 위기를 벗어나지 못한
Etymology
This idiom comes from the idea of being lost or unsafe in a forest. People used it in English by the 1800s to mean being past danger.
Common phrases
not out of the woods yetfinally out of the woodsalmost out of the woods
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is out of the woods formal or informal?
- It is neutral. People use it in everyday speech and in news reports.
- Does out of the woods mean fully recovered?
- No. It means the danger is not completely gone yet.
- Can I use out of the woods for money problems?
- Yes. It is common for health, money, work, and other serious problems.
- What is the opposite of out of the woods?
- A simple opposite is in danger or still at risk.