Word.ws English Dictionary

out on a limb

out on a limb phrase: in a risky, precarious, daring, or uncompromising position, especially one outside of the mainstream; vulnerable.

Phrase

out on a limb

  1. (figuratively, idiomatic, often) In a risky, precarious, daring, or uncompromising position, especially one outside of the mainstream; vulnerable.
    • For quotations using this term, see Citations:out on a limb.
    • Sitting on the dockside at Oban, watching the to-ing and fro-ing in the harbour on a perfect summer's eve, I reflect on a trip which has taken me through our busiest cities to traverse the country's main lines, as well as explore some of the furthest extremities that were literally out on a limb.2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 79

out on a limb meaning in Malayalam and Kannada

out on a limb in Malayalam

segregated, isolated, set apart
തനിച്ചായ, ആശയപരമായ പിന്തുണയില്ലാത്ത, അംഗവിഛേദംവന്ന, ഒറ്റപ്പെട്ട, നിർഭിന്ന, വിഗൃഹീത
in a precarious position, vulnerable, sticking one's neck out
സന്ദിഗ്ദ്ധാവസ്ഥയിലായ, അപകടകരമായസ്ഥിതിയിലുള്ള, ഭേദ്യ, ആക്രമിക്കപ്പെടാൻ സാദ്ധ്യതയുള്ള, അപകടത്തിലേക്കെടുത്തു ചാടുന്ന

out on a limb in Kannada

ಏಕಾಕಿಯಾದ, ಒಂಟಿಗನಾದ, ಯಾರೊಬ್ಬರ ಸಹಾಯವೂ ಇಲ್ಲದ, ಸ್ಥಿತಿ

Origin of out on a limb

In reference to the risks of climbing out on the branch or limb of a tree.

Words formed from out on a limb

Questions about out on a limb

What does out on a limb mean?
Out on a limb means in a risky, precarious, daring, or uncompromising position, especially one outside of the mainstream; vulnerable.
What is out on a limb in Malayalam?
Out on a limb in Malayalam is തനിച്ചായ, ആശയപരമായ പിന്തുണയില്ലാത്ത, അംഗവിഛേദംവന്ന. See Out on a limb meaning in Malayalam.
What part of speech is out on a limb?
Out on a limb is a phrase.

Words near out on a limb in the dictionary

  1. out of wedlock
  2. out of whack
  3. out of wind
  4. out of work
  5. out on
  6. out on a limb
  7. out on one's ear
  8. out on one's feet
  9. out on the tiles
  10. out one's mind
  11. out over one's skis

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: out on a limb (page history and authors); out on a limb (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); out on a limb (Kannada Wiktionary) (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-out on a limb.ogg.

Cite this entry: “out on a limb.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/out_on_a_limb. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.