rabbit hole
noun
: a complexly bizarre or difficult state or situation conceived of as a hole into which one falls or descends
I wanted to show this woman descending into the rabbit hole: this loss of self, becoming a servant to her job and to the work.—Jessica Chastain
especially
: one in which the pursuit of something (such as an answer or solution) leads to other questions, problems, or pursuits
… I went around telling all my friends about the samurai colony that once existed in Northern California. No one had ever heard of it. And, up until a few days before, deep down another internet rabbit hole, neither had I. —Katie Dowd
Because it is so early on in this work it is easy to say that we are either at the edge of a remarkable new and useful science or that we are careering down an environmental rabbit hole. —Jack Hitt
In the season-two premiere of HBO's Westworld, viewers were again tossed down a rabbit hole filled with theories, where one open door leads to many more closed ones. —Josh Wigler and Zoe Haylock
Cite this Entry
“Rabbit hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rabbit%20hole. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.
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