Word.ws English Dictionary

in at the deep end

in at the deep end adjective: placed in a complex situation (especially work-related) without adequate preparation or experience.

Adjective

(thrown) in at the deep end (not comparable)

  1. (idiomatic) Placed in a complex situation (especially work-related) without adequate preparation or experience.
    Synonyms:
    jump in at the deep end, take the bull by the horns

Synonyms of in at the deep end

Origin of in at the deep end

Derived from the slope in a swimming pool, which is shallow at one side, for beginners, and has a deeper section designed for more experienced swimmers.

Questions about in at the deep end

What does in at the deep end mean?
In at the deep end means placed in a complex situation (especially work-related) without adequate preparation or experience.
What part of speech is in at the deep end?
In at the deep end is an adjective.

Words near in at the deep end in the dictionary

  1. in anyway, shape, or form
  2. in arms
  3. in articulo mortis
  4. in as much as
  5. in at the death
  6. in at the deep end
  7. in attendance
  8. in back
  9. in back of
  10. in bad
  11. in bad bread

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: in at the deep end (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-in at the deep end.ogg.

Cite this entry: “in at the deep end.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/in_at_the_deep_end. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.